Deadly Duel (Request)
by Kayori Aechaa
Summary: She's an immortal witch and he's the youngest of the Original brothers, but also the most dangerous and unpredictable. She's best friends with Damon Salvatore, and he is mutual enemies with her love interest. I wonder how this will pan out? [Requested by rachida]
1. An Old Friend

**Hey guys! I guess you've stumbled upon this little request that my lovely rachida made. :)**

**Just a heads up, the chapters will be short but I've decided to break this up into kind of a miniseries after typing out one long monster fic. For what I put in it, it just seemed like too much for someone to sit and read all at once, so this way, I can at least break it up and go into further details! :Db**

**NOTE: The name Ayla belongs to me, but the character herself was "designed" by rachida. Sadly, Kol Mikaelson doesn't belong to either of us, but everyone can dream!**

**OH, JUST AN FYI! All of the important dead characters from season four leading up to when they wake up Silas are alive because I said so! So for sure Alaric, Kol (well durka durka) and Jeremy will be alive in this~! :D**

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_It's been ninety years since I saw your face, Damon_, I thought quietly to myself as the taxi driver pulled onto the Salvatore property, _I wonder if you'll still remember me?_

When the vehicle pulled up to the door, I handed the driver his money and hopped out with my bag in tow. A smile made its way to my face as I observed my surroundings. Not much had been done since the last time I had come to visit, except for minor changes to the exterior and property. I'd noticed that a couple of the windows had been changed, and the front yard was missing several large trees off to the left side of the estate. What mattered was that the boarding house hadn't gone under any extreme structural changes, and still carried that _immortal_ feel to it.

I had been so carried up in my reminiscing thoughts of my first time spent on the property; I hadn't even noticed a truck pull into the driveway. When I heard a male voice come from behind me, I turned and looked at the guest. He was of average height and looked to be in his late twenties. He had dark blonde hair and from what I could see, dark blue to light hazel eyes. I couldn't help but notice how handsome he was.

"Are you lost?" He walked forward, taking cautious steps towards me as if to defend himself should I choose to attack him.

I blinked, "No. I'm not expected, but I'm a friend of the Salvatore's. Well, I'm friends with Damon. I've never been close to Stefan."

"I see," His posture softened slightly, "What's your name?"

"Ayla," I turned to fully face him, "And yours?"

"Alaric. I'm friends with Damon as well."

I nodded slightly and watched him as he stopped a few feet away from me. We stared at one another in total silence for what seemed like hours, each waiting for the other to make a move when the door to the boarding house wretched open. In an instant, I felt that cold but comforting presence of Damon wash through me and turned to face my now shocked friend.

"I thought I was going crazy but I guess not!" Damon smirked and sped over, grabbing me into a tight hug and proceeded to spin circles.

I giggled and smiled bright, "I was in the area so I decided to come visit!"

"And you're here by yourself?" Damon set me down and eyed me suspiciously, "Last time we chatted, you were running with a couple other witches."

I shrugged nonchalantly, "I got tired of them and decided to go off on my own."

"Wait," Alaric pulled both our attention to his now confused self, "Are you a vampire or something?"

"I'm something," I grinned and winked, "Just a witch. There's not a spell I can't perform and I don't tire as easily as most others. I guess you could say I'm a little special."

Alaric nodded and watched as Damon slung his arm over my shoulders, "Watch yourself Ric, this girl is like fire and ice. She looks all sweet and innocent now, but wait until someone pisses her off."

"Hey, I've only beaten you up once," I fake pouted, "No need to bring that up again."

"Has everyone you ever came into contact with kicked your ass before?" Alaric asked, amusement clear in his tone.

I smiled proudly, "Damon was a jerk but, I beat him down and made him say 'aunt'."

"Aunt?"

"Do I look like an _uncle_ to you?" I snorted but soon smiled as Alaric shook his head several times, "That's what I thought!"

Damon grinned, "Long story short, before I had real control over myself, I found her wandering in the streets. When I stopped her she said she was looking for someone, so I lured her into a false sense of security and then attacked her when we were alone and out of sight."

"But Ayla's a witch, isn't she? Didn't she sense that you were a vampire?"

"I didn't at first," I admitted sheepishly, "Around the time when Damon found me my powers had just awakened, so I couldn't distinguish human or vampire without touching them first."

"Just like Bonnie," Alaric smiled slightly, "So when's the part where you beat him up?"

"Oh, he's getting to it," I grinned suddenly, turning my attention back to Damon.

Damon being Damon smirked cockily and continued on with the story, "So when I got a hold of her and sunk my teeth in, she used her witchy powers and threw me off. She wasn't strong enough to hold me down long, but she managed to literally kick my ass and beat the hell out of me. Ever since then, we've been good friends."

Alaric stared at Damon, "So she kicked your ass, and you didn't try to kill her?"

"Nah. Any girl who has the balls to come after me like that deserves the respect I have for Ayla," Damon rubbed my shoulder gently, "I guess you could say Ayla here is like Lexi is to Stefan."

"So in other words," Alaric motioned between us with his hand, "You two are best friends? Wow Damon, I didn't think you were capable of having multiple friends. Let's hope you're not a complete dick to this one like you are to me."

"I like this guy," I giggled and gave Alaric the thumbs up, "He must have a hard head and lots of patience to put up with you."

Damon glared, "Hey now, I'm not all that bad."

"Speak for yourself," Alaric muttered and walked by to head into the boarding house.

I watched as his friend walked inside with the door closing behind him and then smiled up at Damon, "I've missed you."

Damon smiled a genuine smile and enveloped me in a tight hug, muttering softly at how he'd wished I'd called often or had actually come to visit every now and then. I giggled lightly and hugged back; enjoying the comfort only Damon could bring me. He was after all, my best friend.

"How long are you staying?" Damon pulled away and looked down at me.

I shrugged, "A couple weeks, maybe? It depends on if I can find some place to stay in the meantime."

"Uhm, hello!" Damon over-exaggerated his hand motion towards the boarding house, "Tons of rooms to choose from here."

I grinned and poked his side, "I know! I was just waiting for you to offer. You know I don't like asking for anything."

Without another word, Damon swiftly picked me up and whirled through the house and into one of the bedrooms. When he let me down I looked around and frowned. The room was filled with everything one would need to keep themselves happy. It was up to date and modern, with very expensive looking furnishings to match the rest of the slender and decor, but it still didn't feel homey enough.

"Let me guess," Damon crossed his arms, "Something's not suited to your high standards, princess?"

"Nope," I popped the 'p' and brushed passed him, "So I'm going to look until I find a room I like."

I could feel Damon walking behind me as I peeked into various empty rooms in search of one I would call my temporary home until I stopped at a rather large room with a massive window. When I walked in I grinned to myself. The bed itself was very plain but elegant with the white sheets and comforter that hung off to the side of the fancy posts that sprung up from the head and tail board. There was a rather large dresser off to the side of the room that was beside the entrance to an absolutely gorgeous bathroom.

Without looking to see where Damon was standing I clasped my hands, "I'm taking this room. Any objections?"

"I'm glad you like it," Damon smirked and appeared in front of my, "I don't really have an objection, but I think I should tell you something."

My eyebrow rose, "Let me guess," I sighed for added dramatic effect, "This is your room, isn't it? It was almost too good to be true."

"You know I would never object to sharing a bed with a pretty girl like you, Ayla," His eyebrows wiggled causing me to laugh.

I reached up and poked his nose, "Yeah right. I'm taking your room for the entire stay, so I'm kicking you out. Now go so I can change!"

"Love, you've got nothing I haven't seen before, so why do I have to leave?"

"Because you're my best friend and I don't want you to see me naked, now go before I kick your ass again!" I glared playfully and gave him as hard a shove as I could towards the door.

Damon pretended to be hurt by my words, "You're such a cruel person, Ayla. You're just so cruel."

"Like I haven't heard that before," I smiled and gave him one more shove, closing the door quickly to avoid him zipping back into the room.

I stood against the door with a grin as Damon muttered several _not so very nice_ things to himself before disappearing down the hallway. Taking full advantage of the time I had to myself before Damon would return (because, being Damon, he definitely would) I rushed to take a quick shower and then dressed in more comfortable clothing before zipping downstairs.

I hadn't paid attention to where I was going and soon collided with someone much taller then myself, "Oouf!" I pouted and rubbed my rear end slightly after tumbling back towards the ground, my tail bone crying in a brief sting of pain after colliding with one of the stairs.

"You okay?"

I looked up to see none other than Damon's younger brother, Stefan. Man, it had been ages since I last saw him, and he hadn't changed at all.

"Yeah," I jumped up and dusted myself off, "It's been a long time, Stefan."

"It has," He offered me a small smile, "Last time I'd seen you, you were saying goodbye to my brother because you were going after some other witches to train with."

"Yeah... Well that didn't exactly work out. I kind of dabbled in the darker stuff so they extradited me. I was off on my own for God knows how long before I'd started running with some other witches who didn't exactly follow nature's rules, either," I fibbed, knowing St. Stefan would look his nose down at me if I told him the truth.

"So then, you know that expression crap?"

My eyes narrowed slightly, "Yes... How do you know of expression?"

"Because our wicked witch knows expression," Damon appeared and leaned against the wall, "She's apparently in cahoots with Silas and is helping him."

"You have a witch helping Silas?" I glared, "Really? Man, you guys really fucked up royally this time."

"So we've been told. On countless occasions, actually," Stefan stated with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

I looked at Stefan, "Who else knows of Silas?"

"The crazy youngest male Original, of course," I could instantly tell by Damon's tone that he was definitely not a fan of this man he spoke of, "He's terrified of him and tried everything he could to stop us from going after the cure, but we managed to trap him long enough to lock him in Elena's living room with his dear brother Klaus while we went to the island. Lets just say when both brothers got out, they were out for blood. No pun intended, of course."

I rolled my eyes, "Of course you guys did. You'd do anything for the Petrova doppelganger, much like you would for her ancestor, Katerina. I wouldn't be surprised if when one of you gets the bright idea to turn said girl into a vampire that she becomes a miniature Katerina. Oh, wait, apparently that's already happened and now we just wait for the personality change."

Neither brother made an attempt to argue or go hostile about my comment towards Katerina, surprising me slightly. Both boys remained quiet as Alaric walked up to join the conversation.

"So do you know anyone else in town?" He looked at me with a friendly demeanor instantly brushing over him.

I shook my head, "No. No one else knows I'm in town except for you three."

"Well, we were just heading to the grill before you showed up. So why not come along?" Damon walked over and slung his arm over my shoulder, "Say hi to everyone. Maybe meet a cute boy there for me to scare off?"

I rolled my eyes and jabbed my finger into his side, "Please. I haven't found an attractive male in ages. What makes you think I'll find one in this little town?"

Stefan and Alaric watched amused as Damon gasped and pretended to look insulted, "Once again you've managed to hurt me so deeply. How could you, Ayla?"

"Easy, now let's go."

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**Welp, first chapter done! Like I said at the beginning, the chapters will be a little on the short side, but I plan on stretching this out a little so please look forward to the rest of this miniseries. :)**

**So what do we think of Ayla so far? I know we've just met her, but what are your thoughts on her? :)**

**Chapter two will be up in a matter of seconds following this one, as I plan on uploading most of this miniseries pretty much all at once. You know, because it would be kind of mean of me to upload piece by piece considering this was a request! :D**

**Comment/review if you liked it, you lovely people! :)**


	2. Interrogation

**So this is the chapter Ayla finally comes face to face with two of our beloved Original brothers, Klaus and of course, her beau Kol.**

**Oh yes, in this, Tyler hasn't ran off yet. Caroline managed to convince Klaus while he was locked in Elena's living room (with Kol I might add) to leave Tyler alone. For now, at least. :)**

**Please enjoy! :)**

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I sat back in my seat as Damon continued to drive at a high speed through the back roads to get onto one of the main roads leading to the center of town. He was quiet and deep in thought, while Stefan and Alaric, having volunteered to sit in the back of the vehicle, were engrossed in conversation. They were talking about some random assignment that seemed to be for school, making me turn around and give them a funny look.

"Why are you guys talking about school?" My eyebrow rose.

Damon chuckled, "Stefan decided to enroll in high school, and Alaric is the history teacher."

"Lame," I muttered and turned back around to lean back in my seat, "So who exactly are you guys going to meet at this grill, anyways?"

"Oh, the yoozh," Damon cast me a grin, "Elena, Matt, little Gilbert, vampire Barbie junior, her hybrid boyfriend-"

"She's dating Klaus?!" I looked at him with wide eyes.

Damon slammed his foot on the break and began laughing hysterically, "No!"

I glared and slapped the back of his head, "Stop laughing! It isn't funny!"

"Actually, it kind of is," Damon said in between his laughing fits, "It's funny to think someone would date Klaus!"

I rolled my eyes, "Just continue on from where I interrupted you, jackass."

"Her boyfriend's name is Tyler," Damon ignored my pet name for him and continued driving once again, "He's a Lockwood, therefore a werewolf. He's Klaus' first real hybrid sire."

"Gotcha."

The four of us had casual conversation until we reached the parking lot for the grill, each one of us piling out of Damon's car to walk into the building. Much to my surprise, the place wasn't crowded or even as busy as one would expect it to be. There were maybe four tables in use at the moment, while two men sat at the bar counter with their drinks. Without even having to try I knew they were vampires. I looked over towards one of the tables closest to a pool table and instantly recognized the doppelganger, Elena. She was with who I assumed were the people Damon had specified, and followed closely as we walked over and took a seat, but not before Alaric had motioned to everyone naming them off as he went.

"Who's this?" A younger brunette, who Alaric had pointed out as Jeremy, asked with a charming smile on his face.

I flashed him a small smile but made no attempt to reflect his charm, "The name's Ayla. I'm an old friend of Damon's."

"You mean the vampire gigolo actually has a female friend?" The pretty blonde known as Caroline walked over with an amazed expression, "Please tell me you haven't slept with him."

"Nope," I popped the 'p' with a smirk, "He couldn't handle someone like me in bed."

"Good, about time we meet a girl who hasn't slept with Damon Salvatore," Caroline grinned and sat down in front of me, "I like this girl."

"Of course you would Caroline," Damon's voice was raw with sarcasm, "So did anyone order drinks?"

Elena looked at Damon, "Matt said once Klaus and his brother left that he would go and get you some stuff from the bar. He doesn't want to go over there while they're sitting there."

"And why not?"

"Because," A handsome, fairly well-built boy walked over to the table sporting his work uniform, "I don't exactly feel comfortable around the people who have tried to kill all of us at least once."

I leaned over in my seat to get a better look at the two they were speaking of and watched as they both looked over their shoulders to watch our group. They both exchanged glances before fully turning around, their eyes landing on me. The one I recognized as Klaus looked at me with a grin creeping its way onto his face, while the extremely handsome boy beside him stared at me with a smirk. For the first time in ages, I felt my cheeks heat up at the pressure of the boy's gaze.

"Whatcha looking at?" Caroline looked over her shoulder to follow what my eyes had landed on and grimaced with a sigh, "Please don't tell me you find Klaus attractive. Or his little brother, for that matter. They're both jerks."

I snapped out of my gaze and looked at Caroline, "What did you say?"

"Ayla!" Caroline scolded, "Lesson number one of being a part of our group: Don't make googly eyes at the enemy!"

"Who was making googly eyes? I've never seen that brother before, so I was just trying to place him."

"His name is Kol," Elena sat down beside Caroline, her own frown matching Caroline's disapproving one, "He's psychotic, so just be careful. He tried to kill Jeremy so he wouldn't finish his hunters mark to go look for the cure."

"I would have too," I sat back in my seat and caught the Original brother's smirking at my words, "For waking Silas up, you guys really are kind of stupid. But it's not my business, so I won't bash at you for that."

"So then you're afraid of Silas, too?" Elena's eyebrow rose, choosing not to retort about my comment.

I shook my head, "No, but I have a small healthy respect for his power. Being a fellow witch and all."

"You're a witch?" Caroline's eyebrows rose.

I nodded with a grin and winked, "Yeah and I don't like to toot my own horn but, I'm a damn good one at that."

The two girls sat there in silence. Caroline was first to speak, "So... What kind of magic do you do?"

"Strange question coming from a vampire," I looked her in the eyes, "You must be friends with the witch Damon spoke of; the one that's helping Silas."

"Her name is Bonnie Bennett," Elena added and leaned against the table, "You're not a Bennett witch though. So what line are you from?"

"To answer your first question, I'm over a hundred years old," I looked at Caroline, "Simple spells matched with herbs help keep me young and looking like I was the day I cast a simple spell on myself. And not that it's any of your business Elena; I'm from an old line that was supposed to have died off years and years ago. We didn't exactly have a last name that we stuck with, so don't bother getting curious to look us up. I'm the last of my bloodline, but also the strongest ever born into it. It seems only fitting, especially when I choose expression over practical nature bullshit. Then again, we only had two out of the entire family who chose natural magic over expression."

"You're over a hundred years old?" Elena blinked.

Caroline's brows furrowed, "You deal with expression too?"

"Yep, and have been since I've had my powers."

Jeremy, who had taken a seat beside me quietly, looked at me with concern flooding in through his eyes.

I turned to face him with my eyebrow rising, "What?"

"Well, it's just..." He paused for a moment, "Bonnie can't handle expression when she's used too much of it. It consumes her."

"That's because she's not meant to deal with expression," I sat back, "Bennett's are nature's favorite breed of witch. They aren't meant to be anything else but nature's servants, so the expression is probably too much for her to handle all at once. But I have to give her kudos for choosing right. Having to find a balance in everything sucks, but with expression, you don't need balance. All you need is an anchor, and then you have free reign."

Jeremy frowned, "Couldn't you help her learn to control it?"

"According to Damon she's working alongside Silas. What good would I be when the most powerful witch in our history is schooling her?"

"He wants her to open the gate between the living and the dead. I thought maybe you could help bring her back over with some reasoning."

I gave him a bland look, "She's had a taste of darkness probably before and after meeting Silas. There's not much any of us can do now, so the best thing for you to do is let it all unfold. If her life being taken away from her is what you're scared of, don't be. Silas wouldn't kill a witch strong enough to suit his needs. He needs her, and will need her even if he were to find a replacement."

"Would you ever consider helping him?" Caroline asked. Her face was guarded but I could instantly tell this was a trick question. Immediately I could feel every pair of eyes on me, waiting with impatience for my answer. Even the two Original's at the bar were watching with anticipation, their eyes keen with interest.

I shrugged, "Probably not. The old legend says that he wanted to open the gate to the other side for his ex-lover, and that in itself just doesn't appeal to me. I don't see the point in helping love-sick fools. It just seems to bring madness into something that could have been avoided."

"Well onto another topic," Damon jumped in quickly as I sent him a look of gratefulness, "Any news on where Katherine is?"

Elena and Caroline turned to face Damon as Stefan and Alaric discussed leads with him on Katherine's whereabouts, and soon Jeremy got up and joined in the conversation. I watched them curiously for a moment before letting my eyes wander over towards where Klaus and his brother Kol sat, but was disappointed when they both were gone. I gave a quick look around the grill in attempts to spot them, when I heard someone clear their throat. All attention was now on the two Original's who stood beside the table, amused expressions clear on both their faces.

"Still looking for the Petrova, are we?" Klaus grinned a little at Damon.

Damon shot Klaus a look of annoyance, "We'd like to get our hands on the cure, thanks. And by that I mean, before your sister gets to it first."

"Ah, well, might I suggest picking up the pace on your search. Rebekah is doing everything she can to find Katerina, so you may want to start traveling and following any leads you can before she gets to her first."

I watched silently as the two exchanged words, ignoring the pair of eyes staring down at me. Kol continued to observe me, completely ignoring the conversation unfolding between his brother and the entire group. Everyone had jumped in to speak their part to argue with Klaus, but it was really Damon the hybrid was speaking to.

With a sigh, I stood up and walked towards the bathrooms to avoid getting sucked into their escalating argument. Just as my hand touched the door to let myself into the ladies section, I felt myself being pushed through the now open door and heard it close behind me. I quickly turned around to be met with none other than Kol himself, the same amused smirk on his face from before.

"I must say," He took a step forward and pocketed his hands, "I can't ever remember seeing a witch as old as you are with ability to hold onto such beauty. I'm impressed."

I snorted, "I can do much more than that, Kol. So let's lose the flattering and jump to the real reason why we're here. What do you want?"

"Mm," Kol extracted one of his hands from his pocket and reached over touching my cheek gently, "I like a woman with a sharp tongue."

My eyes narrowed to cover up the little bit of pleasure my body was receiving from his touch, "I'd tread carefully if I were you."

"Ah yes, with your ability to use expression and all," His fingers never stopped grazing my cheek, "In all honesty, I'm very curious as to who and what you are. Before Klaus daggered me, I ran with a group of witches who knew about every bloodline but they never mentioned one quite like yours."

"We were the only family to ever teach expression rather than practical magic," I looked up at him, "It's not a surprise that your witch friends never spoke of us. Most witch families looked to us as a disgrace and often attacked us, thinking they could _'cleanse us of the darkness'_."

Kol leaned back against the wall, "You must be something quite special, then."

"I am," I stated honestly, "I'm not your average witch. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to use the bathroom in private. So get out."

"Just one more question," Kol grinned.

I glared, "What?"

"Does your family have any other attributes? Special abilities, perhaps?"

"None that concern you."

With a flick of my wrist, the door flew open and Kol was instantly slammed into the wall on the outside of the bathroom. I smiled before closing the door and walked to the counter and leaned against it, drawing in a couple deep breaths. My first encounter with Kol had been enough to entice parts of me that I had kept dormant, and brought an unfamiliar bout of excitement to the surface. With the touch of his fingers on my skin, it had almost sent electrical shocks throughout my body, giving my knees a weak feeling and leaving the rest of my body helpless. I looked at my reflection and glared, admittedly ashamed of how my body betrayed me for secretly enjoying his company.

"You know, being rude to me will only make me like you all that much more," Kol was once again leaning against the wall behind me.

I turned around and scowled, "What do you want?"

"I want to get to know you, that's all."

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**Hehe, I kind of had fun writing this chapter. I know it probably isn't that great, but I figured it would be a decent way to get in a little minor history lesson on Ayla for. And besides, I needed to give Kol a chance to eaves drop on her as she spoke! I mean come on, he has to know at least something before trapping her in the girls lavatory with him to interrogate!**

**Chapter three, like this one, will be up shortly! :D**

**Comment/review and all that lovely stuff! I hope you're enjoying so far, rachida! :D**


	3. Intimacy

**Here's chapter three! A little bit more on Ayla is revealed here, so that's exciting! :D**

**Enjoy! :)**

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Three days had passed since Kol had trapped me to question me, having answered my questions for him out of courtesy whenever I would play along with his game. Of course, the more personal questions he would as I would answer with a filter, knowing if I'd of lied he would have known instantly. Damon still hadn't spoken to me since the drive home from the grill after watching Kol and I walk out of the bathroom together, after threatening the Original to keep away from me, and promptly getting his ass kicked for his lack of respect. And of course, being as stubborn as he is, he wouldn't listen to my reasoning as to why Kol and I had been together. It was just a matter of time before this all blew over and he finally started speaking again, and then I would finally have the chance to explain things.

I looked over towards the clock and sighed flipping the page to a book I'd randomly chosen from the hundreds that lined the boarding house walls. Without my friend to pester me or to talk to, it was turning out to be very boring here in Mystic Falls. I hadn't exactly gotten off to a good start with Damon's group of friends, but I didn't let that bother me.

Caroline would text me from time to time, but with no real shared interests to talk about left for a very short and brief conversation. Elena on the other hand, chose to ignore me completely. Being exactly like her other Petrova half, she looked at me with disgust after revealing that I was an expression user, but also for my connection with the Salvatore boys. The joke was on her though, I was only close to one of the brothers but ironically he seemed to be the one she had the most interest in at the moment.

Jeremy had text and called me many times, leaving message after message with his questions concerning my use of magic but I chose to ignore them in the hopes that he would eventually take the hint. I didn't want to bother myself with helping someone who most likely didn't want or wouldn't want the help. It was disappointing really, considering Jeremy was a rather nice kid who seemed genuinely concerned for this Bennett witch.

As for the others, I hadn't exactly spoken to them to get a feel for their personalities, so they weren't of any importance as of yet. I hadn't seen them in my dreams, so they obviously held no purpose in my future. However, a certain Original brother did.

Kol hadn't come after me since the day at the grill, and since then he'd haunted my visions and dreams. The first night I dreamed of him, he and I were talking. We weren't close to one another; we were just walking beside one another having a simple conversation. I hadn't revealed much to him again, but my visions were never clear on dialog when it came up. These past two nights, he had touched me. Not just casual touch, it was intimate. His hands moved over my skin and our bodies were touching with such intimacy. I'd jolted awake after experiencing those dreams, and hadn't closed my eyes since then. I could feel my cheeks heat up at what I had seen and I could feel my insides twist with wonder at how gifted his hands must be to entice such a response from me, as I was generally not a touchy-feely person.

Later on that day my phone buzzed with another text. It was Kol asking to meet me near a park with a long path stretching far into woods, with a description exactly like the one I'd seen in the vision. I'd gotten ready and left to meet him almost immediately.

"Glad you could make it," Kol grinned as I walked up, "I wasn't expecting you to agree to meet with me, but I'm glad you did."

"Just don't get too comfortable," I started walking and looked at him, "I take it you want to burn me with more questions?"

"Of course. I want to know everything about you."

"Why?" My eyebrow rose, "I'm not exactly an interesting person."

Kol shrugged, "Do I need a reason?"

"Kind of."

"Well," He grinned once again, "You fascinate me, so that's one reason."

"Oh, there's more than one reason?" I grinned slightly, "I'm honored."

"You should be," He winked, "Let's begin, shall we?"

"Fine; quid pro quo," I looked forward, "You start."

"Tell me about your childhood."

I took a minute to consider his question, "I don't remember much of my childhood. All I know is I was surrounded by dark magic my entire life, so that has to count for some kind of excitement or trauma. In all honesty, I think I was some kind of experiment. My mother had once told me I was an unexpected pregnancy, since she'd already given birth to four children before me."

"Perhaps that's why you can't remember details?" Kol questioned thoughtfully.

I shrugged a shoulder, "Most likely. My earliest memory is of my grandmother watching over me as a nine year old, telling me I would experience a lot of pain and then it all went black. I can remember bits and pieces as they come along, but to be put on the spot like right now, I can't conjure up anything of value."

"I see," Kol thought for a moment before looking ahead, "Your turn."

"Why did you run with witches?"

"I have the highest respect for witches and always have. I chose to run with them instead of traveling with my siblings, and also to fill my healthy curiosity."

"Uh huh... So in other words, you had an arsenal of witches to protect you against your stronger hybrid brother?"

"Not exactly," Kol narrowed his eyes, "I can hold my own against Nik even if he were to fight dirty, but that wasn't the issue. I'd traveled to New Orleans again a few years after it was founded, and met up with a group of stray witches. They were all from different families and bloodlines, each one with their own unique powers and strengths. When I approached them, I offered to accompany them and without objections, we left. They fascinated me, much like you do right now."

I nodded and let his words sink in, "Interesting."

"Mm," Kol paused before glancing in my direction, "Do you possess unique traits? Not family traits, I mean individual."

I kept my eyes a head and sighed, "I have a couple, but I don't feel comfortable saying them out loud. Even more so considering I've only known you for a short period of time."

"I could just compel you to tell me?" Kol grinned a mischievous grin.

"I'd like to see you try," I matched his grin before becoming serious, "I guess I could tell you one thing. Only Damon knows this about me, so keep it to yourself. Alright?"

"You have my word," Kol stated honestly.

I drew in a deep breath, "I lied that day at the grill, about casting a spell on myself. I did it so no one would question why I'm still alive."

"So then you're immortal?"

I nodded slowly, "I figure it's from being experimented on. When I'd turned seventeen they'd left me alone because my magic had come to life, and I'd almost been blessed with natural abilities so I could easily defend myself against them even without proper training. It wouldn't surprise me if the last spell they'd cast on me was an immortality spell they were hoping would backfire."

"You speak with such a rough tone, and your regards to your family hold such negativity."

"Yeah," I sighed, "My father convinced my mother and the rest of our family that I wasn't of much importance, but my eldest sister always tried to stick up for me. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't remember anything at all."

"Did you end up killing your family?"

I nodded sharply, "Only my father, but it was honestly an accident. When my magic was fully developed he took pride in me and showed me how to use greater strength, but it backfired my first try and I ended up contorting his body. His neck snapped before I could stop it."

"You let yourself lose control on him, didn't you?" Kol stopped walking and watched me, "I won't judge you if that's the truth."

I stopped walking and slowly turned to face him, "I didn't mean for it to happen."

Kol's eyes locked with mine as if looking for any signs of dishonesty and then walked forward to place a hand on my shoulder, "I believe you."

"My turn," I pulled away sharply and started walking again, "Why does Damon hate you so much?"

Kol suddenly smirked, "He's a child who needs a lesson in manners. He treats me with disrespect, so I put him in his place."

"Not to mention the fact you seem to enjoy beating up my best friend," I added and looked at him in time to see the flicker of surprise cross his face, vanishing almost instantaneously.

"I guess you could say it's become a past time," Kol admitted truthfully with an amused tone, "It's amusing to watch him think he can defend himself against me."

I grinned and let myself laugh, "He's always been cocky and arrogant, but then again you probably have as well. It's taken you a thousand life times to perfect your attitude, but Damon is out of practice. He's gone soft, while you've remained stone cold and set in your ways."

Kol watched me and remained silent as I continued to speak more to myself then to him.

"My turn," Kol paused for a moment to gather his words, "How did you meet Damon, anyway?"

I giggled, "When I met Damon he'd tried to feed off me, and when I put him down I was so pissed that I beat the shit out of him. Physically, I mean."

Kol laughed hard for a moment, probably picturing little me beating up the rather tall Salvatore brother. I waited until he calmed down a little to continue.

"After he got up I threatened him and warned him that if he came after me again I'd kill him, but he ended up becoming my best friend after that. He told me I'd gained his respect for my lack of fear, or something like that at least," I smiled at the memory, "It's been a long time, that's for sure. Ninety years."

"I see," Kol regained his composure and took a deep breath to stop himself from laughing more.

I looked at Kol and grinned, "Good to see I can make you laugh."

The Original looked down at me and winked, "You'd be surprised what you do to me, darling."

I felt my cheeks instantly become furiously warm at Kol's confession. He watched me with a pleased smile forming on his face and quickly snatched my hand in his, pulling me down another set of trails when we got to the end of the one we were walking on. I let my eyes snap down to our laced hands, but I never made an attempt to pull away.

"Ayla," Kol suddenly spoke, "Your heart is beating quite fast. Are you alright?"

I glared up at him when he grinned teasingly, "Yes, I'm fine."

"Good, because I still have one more question before I do something that may or may not be polite," Kol never lost the grin as he stopped walking and looked down at me, "I need you to be honest with me or I'll have to resort to plan B."

My eyebrow rose, "Okay... What question?"

"I want to know what else is unique to you. The secret you haven't told anyone about. I want you to confide in me and tell me what it is."

"Kol-"

"I won't take no for an answer."

I shook my head, "I can't tell you."

"Can't and won't are two entire different things, darling," Kol stated with a mocking tone.

I glared up at him, "Don't talk to me like that."

Suddenly Kol had me pressed against a tree with my hands above my head. From the position we were in I could tell we were deep in the woods off to the side of the trail and out of public eye.

My eyes narrowed dangerously, "Let me go."

"Or what?" Kol leaned down and inhaled my scent, "You'll force me? Go ahead then, do it."

I felt my body shiver at his closeness, "I mean it Kol, let me go."

"I'd rather not," His lips pressed against my neck and sent goose bumps up and down my skin, "At least, not until you tell me what you're hiding."

My eyes closed for a mere second when flashes of my visions and dreams came hurdling forward, "N-No."

"Mm," He smirked against my skin, "Seems I've hit a soft spot."

Before I could muster a reply Kol pressed his lips against mine barely, teasing my senses and hidden desires. It took all of my self-control to fight back the need to return this sudden display of affection, begging my body not to betray me just this once. I could feel him grin against my lips before kissing me fully, snaking one of his hands from my wrist down my side causing a sensual feeling to ripple throughout my entire being. He was gentle and slow, and then became passionate and intense. The feeling of restriction and control suddenly fell through as my hand found its way to the back of his neck and pulled him closer, my body bending to whatever placement he would choose. That helpless feeling washed over me from our first connection, letting me feel every sensation that crashed over me with a sweet melody.

As he pulled away I mentally cursed myself for letting myself fall under the spell of his kiss, allowing the potency and power of his touch to overwhelm what took years to build up. Before I'd met Kol Mikaelson, I had constructed an immunity to fake charms and sexual attention (having been friends with Damon for so long encouraged this), but this vampire simply had to touch me in the simplest of ways to entice a reaction out of me. It was frightening, frustrating but also exhilarating.

I looked up at Kol and immediately understood why I'd had those intimate visions of him. It was all answered in his eyes.

"Are you going to tell me now?" Kol muttered softly, his face only inches from my own.

I felt my breath catch in my throat and gave my head a slight shake, "I can't."

"Just let go," He chuckled and pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth, "You can trust me."

"Tell me why you want to know everything about me and why I'm so fascinating you," I attempted a demanding tone, but hearing my own words made my stomach drop at how weak they actually were, "Give me a real reason why I should trust you with my deepest secret?"

Kol pulled away far enough to look me in the eyes, "Would you believe me if I said I've developed feelings for you?"

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**DON'T HATE ME! LOOL :P**

**I love cliffhangers, I really do. But like most people, I only enjoy writing them, not reading them and having to wait for the next chapter to be put out. XD**

**SO WHATCHA GUYS THINK, HUH? ;)**

**And rachida, I hope you'll excuse me for making Ayla's past a little... dark. I didn't know if that's what you'd intended when you gave me specifications on how you wanted her, but I'm hoping you'll like it. :D**

**Comment/review, next chapter will be up shortly! :D**


	4. Those Moments

**Hello all, and welcome to the update. I'm going to apologize once again for the lack of updates as another incident happened that inhibited me from posting. A close friend of mine lost her grandmother, who I was very, very close to, so pardon if my updates aren't as... Chipper and exciting as they may normally be. I felt bad for not having posted when I said I was going to, but I figured trying to sit down and write chapters for my on-going stories wasn't a good idea. Things just keep getting better and batter (insert sarcasm here) but I'm hoping now that this has all gone down, that all the bad is over for a while at least, so I can get back into a routine of updates and other works. :)**

**Also I have something to say before we continue onto the story, as I feel this is important to get off my chest. I just want to put this out there that this is NOT directed at all of you, only certain few.**

**First off I just want to say this. Two days ago I got a very nasty private message from a user (who will go unnamed) who very rudely told me I should be updating and that what has happened over the last weekend shouldn't stop me from continuing my stories, calling me immature for using my mother as an excuse to be lazy and to get out of writing. I found this to be extremely rude and disrespectful, and won't put up with shit comments like that from anyone. Family means everything to me, and what little I have left is more important than anything I do. So if that displeases you, by all means shoo fly.**

**Also, I got a couple messages from people several times since I posted the author's note asking when I would be updating not once, not twice, but three times in one day more then one time this week. I understand that you guys enjoy my stories, but please don't bug the snot out of me when I'm preoccupied with other things. If you want shit quality stories that I slopped together in a matter of seconds then sure, I'll post, but I can't promise it will be any good. I appreciate the time spent in messaging me wondering when I'll be updating, but please limit the amount of times to one. Not to be rude, but I don't really need constant reminders.**

**ALRIGHT, now with that said, please enjoy the chapter! I'm running on two days of no sleep so if it's jumping around and doesn't make sense, I apologize. I tried to catch everything when I did my edit, but if you've read my stuff before you probably noticed I overlook quite a lot. LOOL :)**

* * *

"Damon?" I quickly closed the door to the boarding house and looked around cautiously, "Are you home?"

"No, but I am."

I looked to see Stefan standing in the middle of the main sitting area, drink in hand. He reminded me very much of Damon in the way he help himself at that moment.

"Where is he?" I asked, walking down the couple of steps to join him.

Stefan sipped his drink, "Chasing after Elena, of course."

"You sound like you're unimpressed by that idea," Having caught the distasteful tone in his voice I pressed on further, "He told me a little bit about Elena, and after having met her for myself, I don't see the fascination."

Stefan watched me as I took a seat on one of the couches, "And why is that?"

"She's not exactly what you'd call a people person or at least from my point of view, and she's nosy as hell. I can't stand people like that on a good day let alone when I first meet them," I stated flatly.

Stefan chuckled slightly despite my words against the woman he was in love with, "Well, without her humanity, she's becoming a little more difficult to be around."

"Ah," I grinned, "I see. That must be the mission Damon is on."

"Excuse me?" His brows knit together.

I shrugged, "Well, from what I gathered from the stories I've heard, it's like what happened with that stupid Katerina all over again. Minus Elena shutting her humanity off herself, of course. You'd think you would have both learned your lesson the first time."

"Damon told her to turn off her emotions," Stefan stated flatly.

I had to bite down on my tongue to suppress the laugh that threatened to break through my lips, "I see... Well if you ask me, it's looks good on her."

"Your first impression of Elena didn't go so well, did it?"

"Nope!" I narrowed my eyes, "If you ask me, you two brothers would be better off without her in your lives. Her, and that blonde thing she has as a friend."

Stefan cracked into a small smile, "Oh come on, what's wrong with Caroline?"

"She's annoying!" I flailed my arms, "She's nosy, she's loud, and she reminds me of a school girl!"

"She's a typical teenage girl," Stefan watched me amused, "What do you expect?"

I sighed dramatically and made no attempt to argue against his comment. Suddenly an awkward silence fell over us as he shuffled forward to refill his drink, his eyes never leaving the liquid as it sloshed around in his cup.

"Can I ask you something?" I shifted a little.

Stefan looked at me, "That all depends."

I mentally slapped myself repeatedly for what I was about to ask Stefan. He and I never really... talked about these things, let alone dream of getting into a heated conversation over boys. He wasn't the brother that I went to, but unfortunately he was all I had right now. I watched Stefan's posture relax ever so slightly in the awkward tension that was between us, feeling my own body give just a bit. I took his response as my go a head, and went right for it.

"What's Kol like? I mean, what is he normally like?"

Stefan's eyebrow rose, "Well he's an Original that's at the same level of unstable psychotic nature as his hybrid brother, so needless to say he's unpredictable and always has an ulterior motive for his actions. Why?"

"He wanted to get to know me," I suddenly felt uncomfortable speaking about this with Stefan, wishing Damon would fly through the door at any minute to save me, "In a personal sense... And he asked me all kinds of questions."

His brows furrowed, "Like what?"

"Things about my past. Things only Damon and a handful of other people know," I spoke softly, "Then he..." I froze and stopped myself before admitting that the youngest male Original _bestowed his affections on me_.

"Then he what?" Stefan pressed, "He didn't touch you, did he?"

_Yes_, "No."

Stefan went to speak again before the vibration of his phone cut him off. He motioned to me to hold on a second and then spoke to whoever it was that was calling. From the unimpressed look on his face I automatically assumed it was Damon. Stefan muttered to himself and addressed Damon with a growl before agreeing to go pick him up. Now sporting annoyance in his features, I pieced together that things with Elena weren't going to plan. _Shocker. _She in a Petrova doppelganger after all.

When Stefan hung up he looked right at me, "Well, Damon's in a mood. Care to join me on a little road trip?"

"What happened?" My eyebrow rose. Sure I was concerned, but I was also thanking whichever God was looking down on me to call upon Damon as my savior from Stefan's questions.

"Well to put things in short, Damon got his neck snapped and now Elena and Rebekah have ran off to go find the cure."

I glowered, "You're on your own. I'm not going anywhere near where the cure might be."

"What about Damon?" His eyebrow rose again, "I thought he was your best friend-"

I cut Stefan off, "He is, but I have things to do and he'll be safe with you. So go, I'll be fine."

"You're sure?" He gave me a concerned look.

I smiled the most sincere smile I could muster, "Yeah. Tell him I want to talk to him when he gets back though. He knows I don't do phones unless I have to, so he won't call. Besides, Ric will keep me entertained if I beg him enough."

After giving me an amused look after a few more witty responses to his concerns over leaving me here by myself, Stefan left to go retrieve his bother leaving me to my own thoughts in the huge boarding house. I looked around for a moment wondering what I could get myself into first when the sound of heels clicking against the rug-covered hardwood floors headed in my direction caught my attention. I felt a wave of relief wash over me knowing it couldn't be Kol, seeing as how he doesn't wear high heels (although that would be a sight).

"Stefan!"

I grimaced as Caroline's voice bellowed through the halls, and when she finally appeared, she put on a fake smile and walked towards me, "Do you know where Stefan is?"

"He went to go babysit Damon," I stated, although a little too quickly then I should have.

She frowned slightly, "Really? I needed his help with something!"

_Don't say 'what', don't say 'what'!_ "Oh? With what?" _Inner Ayla you're a betrayer!_

Caroline paused for a moment to eye me suspiciously before sighing deeply with added dramatics to boot, "Prom is coming up, and I need the perfect outfit! The dress I chose just doesn't seem... Fitting. I want to look amazing, but I needed a guys opinion and I wanted to drag Stefan along, but seeing as he's not here right now that makes this an even bigger issue!"

"Wait, so," I took a second to gather my thoughts, "You came over to pull Stefan, who probably was doing something a hell of a lot more entertaining then dress shopping, away to go and watch you try shit on for one night? Yes, because that makes sense."

The blonde vampiress suddenly became furious. I almost let a giggle slip as I pictured her as a fire-breathing dragon, "Prom is super important! Not that you would know, being ancient and boring!"

"Ancient and boring?" I blinked, "Haven't heard that before."

Caroline groaned in displeasure, "You don't get it do you? This night is super important. I want to look amazing-"

"Yes, yes, I got you the first time," I glared, "My point is, I just don't see the point in getting yourself all dolled up for ONE NIGHT. It's kind of stupid. Besides, you're not completely unfortunate looking, so finding something to wear shouldn't be an issue."

"Coming from you, I take that as a lame attempt at a compliment."

My eyes narrowed, "What the hell does that mean?"

"Exactly what you think it means," She matched my look with her own, crossing her arms over her chest.

I smiled, "Well, seeing as how the teeth and claws are about to come out, let me be blunt. I don't like you, so take your insults and your issues with this stupid prom going on and leave. I don't really feel like being your target for your anxiety over a dance, however important it might be for you children."

Caroline glared, "You're a real piece of work, but considering who your best friend is, this isn't that surprising. No wonder you can only keep Damon as a friend! He's probably the only one to put up with your attitude and accept that fact that you're a freak."

I mentally winced at her words, "_My_ attitude? You should look at yourself, Blondie." I didn't bother an attempt at creating a comeback for her calling me a freak, knowing things would only get worse.

Without a word, I brushed passed her and headed towards the door, only to be followed by her. When I looked at her I noticed she was preparing another comeback, so I waited. The blonde gave a frustrated sigh and before she could say another word, I grinned and flicked my hand, sending her back out the door and slammed it shut before she could re-enter.

"Thank you for your stimulating company Caroline but I think it's passed overdue!" I called out to her knowing she would hear me clearly from the other side of the door.

I giggled and walked away after hearing her mutter things she probably hoped I wouldn't hear. As much as I hated to admit it, although I disliked her but she was amusing. And as much as I hated to admit it, her words hurt. There was a reason why I only had a handful of trusted people I called friends. When you grow up the way I did, you really don't have much choice but to accept the fact that uncertainty, suspicion and caution come in hand.

Sighing deeply I walked upstairs to my (ahem, Damon's) bedroom and flopped down on the bed, leaving myself in silence and stared up at the ceiling. /No wonder you can only keep Damon as a friend! He's probably the only one to put up with your attitude and accept that fact that you're a freak./ I repeated those words over and over, letting the swells of what little memories I have of when I was young come flooding back to give me a harsh kick in the gut. At times like this, I wish Damon was here and sitting beside me, telling me how I need to let comments like those in one ear and out the other. I could tell myself that over and over again, but it never works as well as when Damon says it. The thought brought the tiniest of smiles to my lips. Giving another sigh, I rolled onto my side and clutched at his pillow.

I blinked and shot up quickly, looking around wildly as a soft beeping sound echoed through the room. Hauling myself out of bed, I walked around the room until I found the source and smiled small, seeing a note laying beside a very fancy looking cell phone. It was from Damon. I picked up the letter and scanned over it quickly, amused by his words. Yeah, this was definitely from Damon.

_So my darling witchy friend, I know how much you detest technology, but I decided to take it upon myself to get you a phone. You can scream at me and beat me with a stick when I get back if it pleases you, just don't mess up my hair and kindly let me take the jacket off before you commence the beating. I like that leather jacket. _

_With love, your future husband- Oh I mean, best friend, Damon ;)_

I giggled and set the note down, appreciating the humor to lighten my mood and picked up the phone. The screen was lit up with Damon's name showing that he was calling me. With a pout, I picked up the phone and answered it.

"Just because it's you, I'll make an exception this time." I grinned softly, walking back to the bed and flung myself onto the covers carelessly.

Damon chuckled, _"So I can walk into the house without fear of losing my testicles and manly dignity?"_

"Yep," I popped the 'p' for dramatic affect, "Stefan gave me a brief answer as to why he's going to rescue your ass."

_"Yeahhh, the Original Barbie showed up and tag-teamed me with Elena."_

"Poor you," I paused for a moment and stared up at the ceiling, simply enjoying the fact Damon and I were speaking once again.

_"Look,"_ Damon sighed, _"I wanted to apologize for what happened that night after we got back from the grill. I was a bigger ass then usual when I wouldn't let you explain yourself."_

"It's okay Damon, really. Just water under the bridge now."

_"He just gets on my last nerve. That bastard's beaten me up so many times now, that I'd just love to give him a taste of his own medicine."_

My breath caught in my throat, "Damon... When you get back, I need to talk to you."

_"Please don't tell me we're going to be talking about that prick."_

"If I lied, would that make easier for me to answer that question?"

Damon groaned dramatically, _"Ayla!"_

I giggled and went to respond to him, when a figure standing in the doorway caught my immediate attention. I shot up into a rigid sitting position and gripped the phone tightly, staring right into the intruders face, "Damon... I have to go. I just remembered I promised Ric I was going to help him with something. I talk to you later." Without giving him a chance to respond, I hung up on him but never loosened my grip on the phone.

My eyes narrowed, "What are you doing here?"

Kol smiled one of his characteristically sweet and charming smiles, "We never got a chance to finish our conversation before you fled, so I'd like to continue if you don't mind."

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**I just want to say this up front that I'm SUPER SORRY this chapter is ridiculously short after such a long wait. The next one will be A LOT longer, I pinky promise! And it'll make more sense. And it'll be less lame. Yeah... I'll go with that. Think of this as a... Filler chapter for when Damon is back and Kol is there. Things will get interesting, I promise.**

**Sooooo. I had a hard time figuring out how to start this chapter off, because initially I wanted Kol and Ayla to have one more thing to say before she took off, but at the same time I wanted to leave it up to you all as the reader to come up with your own take on what happened when she left. Don't worry, you'll read about it later on, but I'd be interested to hear what you guys have to say. ;)**

**Also, I didn't really... erm... Want to fight with Caroline, but it just sort of happened, and without a real reason behind it. LOOL SO YEAH, I wouldn't be upset if some of you skipped through that part. I'll give you a heads up that Ayla and Elena will have words before the end of this, but for now since I was able to go passed that, I can really work with when Damon gets back and the building romance of Ayla and Kol. I have the next chapter already being written, and yes, Damon and Kol are in it. :D**

**To rachida; sorry if this chapter wasn't all that great. I promise I'll make it up to you with the next chapter. :)**

**** NOTE: I will be re-writing this chapter but for the time being it's going up as I've been now getting a steady stream of people for all my on going fics asking for updates. So for the people who are shaking their heads right now, I'll apologize for the 8390483902849320483 time!**

_**ALSO! To those of you who read Before The Dawn (Vaughn) or Gift From Hell (Twilight/TVD crossover) please note that I will be posting probably sometime tomorrow once I'm finished with horse duties and cleaning my apartment. :)**_


	5. Games Over Wanting

**Hello all! I just got home from working my lovely horsey-boy Liam and my potential new horse Diva, so I'm in a SUPER GOOD MOOD. LOOL! I'd say it's a change from last week, don't you agree? ;D**

**So I want to thank the few of you who commented, and my lovely rachida, I'm so happy you enjoyed the chapter! I'm hoping this one lives up to expectation as well, as I had a lot of fun planning and writing this one out. ;)**

**And to be honest, I pulled this chapter practically outta my ass, so it's not as long as I would have liked to have made it, but I still have a shit ton I need to do today so hopefully this will do for now until I get a chance to really sit down and type away!**

**OH YEAH, just so we're clear, I'm not completely following the Vampire Diaries storyline, so yeah. LOOL**

**So without further ado, on to the chapter!**

* * *

I stared at the youngest male Mikaelson for what seemed like hours until I slid off Damon's bed and stomped towards him, "You've got some nerve just showing up here!"

"Well as I recall, we weren't finished our conversation, darling," Kol smirked and watched me approach, "So please, continue."

"Get out!" I glared up at him, my temper beginning to flare. I had to whisper to myself in order to keep my magic in check, knowing that even an experienced expression user like myself could slip if thoroughly provoked.

Kol, having been standing with his arms folded across his chest, let his hands fall to his sides and stared down at me with such natural defiance. Instantly, I felt as if he was looking at me like I was one of his siblings who had just engaged him in a sibling spat. He took a step forward to challenge me even further, his charming smile having vanished and found itself replaced with a cocky smirk.

"If you want me to leave, then make me Ayla," He mocked. Kol wasn't a fool. He knew exactly what he was doing and wasn't ignorant of the consequences egging a witch on would bring.

I hesitated for a split second, "Leave or I will."

Again, Kol took another step forward, "Make me."

"Why are you being like this?" I glared and stood my ground, trying to seem intimidating, "Get out or I'll seriously hurt you."

Unfortunately, Kol wasn't having any of that. Now standing within arms reach of me, Kol's hand lifted up and cupped my cheek with surprising gentleness, "You wouldn't hurt me."

I felt my cheeks flare slightly and slapped his hand away, "I'm not going to say it again."

"Don't be like that, love," Kol smirked, "You don't want me to leave, or else you would have kicked my ass out of here long ago. You won't hurt me."

Before I could muster a lame excuse for my lack of reasoning for not removing him from the boarding house, the sound of the front door caught both of our attention. Kol and I shared an intense gaze before both heading down to the main area, only to see Stefan and Damon. Rudely, I shoved passed Kol and headed directly towards the black haired Salvatore, who looked right over my head and cast Kol a very nasty glance.

"Oh fantastic. Not only do we have Elena to deal with, _he's_ here," Damon narrowed his eyes and grabbed a hold of me in a warm yet over-bearing and protective hug.

Kol grinned as he watched Damon and pocketed his hands, "Troubles with the baby vampire, boys?"

Stefan, who was carrying Elena's limp body in his arms, decided it better that he leave immediately and headed for the cellar. Kol watched with amusement and then turned his attention back to Damon and I.

I looked up at Damon questioningly, "What happened to her?"

"The only way we could bring her back was to snap her neck," Damon answered but his eyes never left Kol's, "You know, Original sister complications and all."

"Ah yes, my sister would be using anyone to help her get her hands on that cure now wouldn't she," Kol all but sang to Damon, "It's pathetic, really."

Damon loosened his grip on me, "Tell me again why you're here?"

"Ayla and I were having a little chat," Kol grinned down at me, "You two just happened to show up and interrupt, that's all."

"Oh, well pardon me."

I sighed and looked at Kol, "Just leave, please. I don't want any trouble from either of you."

"Tootles," Damon stepped aside with a grin and waited for Kol to leave, but the Original never moved a muscle.

Kol looked at me for a moment before shrugging, "I could, but then I wouldn't be of some use to you when you tell Damon why you needed to talk to him about me. You did mention that on the phone to him, did you not?"

"You..." I gaped at him and then remembered he had been standing in the doorway listening, "You eavesdropping Original bastard. Get out!"

Kol smirked, "No. I'm curious to hear what you have to say about me."

"Let him stay," Damon flashed Kol a grin, "We'll just go for a drive and you can use some sort of spell to lock him in the house like Bonnie did to him and Klaus. I bet he'd like that, seeing as how he enjoyed his time trapped in a living room with his favorite brother for three days."

Kol's smirk dropped and a displeased look graced his features, "I wouldn't if I were you."

"Or what?" Damon taunted, "What are you going to do, huh? She's a powerful witch, and is more then capable of bringing idiots like you crumpling to your knees."

Kol suddenly smiled a smile that held hidden meaning behind it, "As powerful as she may be, she wouldn't hurt me."

I looked from Damon to Kol a couple times before walking away from both of them, "You two are exhausting. I can't even stay mad at one of you because it's just too much effort."

"Oh now darling, don't be like that!" Kol appeared beside me and walked with me to the sitting area.

Damon followed with quick strides, "Well since he insists on staying, why not just spit it out."

"Fine, since everyone wants to know," I blurted out to no one in particular, "Damon, I wanted to talk to you about Kol's relentless prying into my past. He wants to know things about me that only you know."

Damon shot Kol a nasty glare, only to be somewhat surprised by the innocent smile that formed on the ancient vampires lips.

"Ah, but you already divulged all of that, darling," Kol purred, "I want to know what you haven't told anyone. Not even Damon."

"Drop the _darling_ because I'm definitely not your darling," I snipped back sharply, "And for the hundredth time, the answer is no!"

"Wait, hold on," Damon held his hands up as his brows furrowed, "You have a big secret and you never even told me?"

"I couldn't risk an older vampire like 'Nosy' here for instance, catching you and compelling you to tell them what my secret is," I looked at him with a frown, "Please don't be mad Damon."

Damon understood my reasoning and smiled small, "Don't worry about it."

"Well now that you two have made up, shall we continue this discussion?" Kol glanced from Damon and then back to me.

I glared at the Original, "This part I'd like to talk to Damon about in private."

"Oh," The amusement in Kol's voice was beaming, "You wish to tell him about our little date? Well I can supply him with all the details of that."

Damon suddenly looked outraged, "You went on a date with him?!"

"No! I didn't- Kol stop snickering!" I narrowed my eyes dangerously at him before turning back to Damon, "We went for a walk and we... talked. That's all!"

Kol smirked, "Oh do tell him the truth, love! Tell him about our special moment together. You loved every minute of it."

Again I could feel my temper threaten to bubbled once more but Damon beat me to it, "What special moment?!"

Stefan, who had decided to join us, leaned against the door frame and watched silently as his brother writhed in anger. He wouldn't admit it out loud in this situation, but it amused him knowing that no matter how hard Damon tried, he'd never fully injure Kol or even beat him down to his liking. In the same notion, Stefan also felt bad for Damon because he knew the antagonistic relationship he and Kol shared. He was fully aware just how easy it would be to set Kol off to attack Damon, whether it be for fun or to prove a point. It was no secret that the Original seemed to have taken a liking to beating Damon to a pulp at any chance he got.

"We kissed," Was Kol's simple answer.

I watched as Damon took a shaky, unnecessary breath before launching himself at Kol, barking about how he was going to wipe that smirk off the Original's face. Before either vampire could do anything to harm each other, I held my hands up momentarily and watched as Damon bounced off an invisible barrier. Kol watched him with a smirk and reached forward to grab him, only to find his hand pressed against his own invisible barrier.

Both men turned to me with nasty glares, to which I replied, "Since Kol was kind enough to share that little detail, I'm going to keep you both on lock down until this is all finished."

Damon pounded his fist against the barrier just once, "Is this really necessary!"

"Yup, so suck it up," I glared, "I'm not letting you out until you calm down. And you," I turned to Kol, "I just feel like boxing you up, so get comfortable."

Kol decided to turn this moment into a playful one rather then react like his counterpart, "You want to keep me boxed up? If you wanted me all to yourself darling, all you had to do was say so."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. Just shut up for a minute, okay?"

"Like he's capable of listening to what anyone says," Damon spat angrily.

The two exchanged nasty glares once again before I sighed and stepped between the two, "Listen," I turned to face Damon, "It's not what you think."

"So then you didn't make out with the enemy?" Damon crossed his arms giving me that look he always gave me when he attempted to scold me.

"No-"

"Why deny what he can just get out of you later on?" Kol taunted from behind me.

I bit my tongue and fought back a nasty response as Damon sighed, "Ayla."

"Yeah?" I frowned.

"Wait guys," Stefan interjected, "Lets just all leave this topic alone for a little while and all calm down."

Damon turned to Stefan with a glare, "Stay out of this."

"Damon," Stefan didn't back down, "Think about what you're getting yourself into. Yes, your best friend might have kissed Kol, but she's still your best friend. You're going to end up saying something you'll regret because you're angry. You don't think straight when you're angry. And to make matters worse, this has everything to do with the one person you hate more then even Katherine, so you really need to take a minute to rethink what you were just about to say."

"He's right Damon," I tried to reason with him.

Damon narrowed his eyes, "Why him? That's all I want to know. Why that Original prick?! If you had to go for an Original why not pick Elijah? At least he's not a psycho!"

Kol scoffed, "Elijah has his bawls tied with his precious Katerina, so he's otherwise busy with other engagements."

"Thanks for that lovely information," Damon snapped, "But seriously, Ayla! Why Kol?! Of all the people you could have chosen!"

"I didn't choose him!" I glared, "He chose me!"

"And you decided to just go along with it?" Damon snarled.

"It's not like I planned to kiss him, Damon! We went out for a walk and we were taking!"

"Is that before or after you fraternized with the enemy?"

If I could have slapped Damon out of aggravation by this point, I would have. It also bugged me that I couldn't willingly tell him about why it was Kol. I couldn't tell him about my visions. It would put him in potential danger, and the thought of Damon in more danger then he already is in made my stomach churn.

"Damon, please," I pleaded, "Just believe me when I say that he means nothing to me. I don't have feelings for him."

From behind I could almost feel Kol flinch at my words, his long-living smirk that seemed permanently plastered to his face wavering ever so slightly. Damon seemed to catch this and pulled his attention from Kol back to me.

"Then why did you go with him?" Damon's eyes softened just a tiny bit, "Can you at least tell me that?"

"I..." I frowned. Why did I go with him? To satisfy my curiosity, or because my visions and dreams practically compelled me to? "I can't give you a real answer because I don't really know why. I guess I went because I was curious as to why an Original was so interested in me."

There was a brief moment of silence while Damon's eyes bore into my own, "You know I can tell when you're lying to me, Ayla. And right now, you're doing just that."

"Damon, I-"

"Ayla," Damon's translucent eyes sharply snapped towards Kol as he cut me off, "You and I need to have a serious sit down after this is all over, but for now, I'm not in the mood to wait until this whole ordeal blows over. I want an answer right now."

"What do you mean?" My brows furrowed, "What answer?"

"Him or me," Damon's tone was serious, "I want you to choose, right here and right now."

* * *

**HA, cliffhanger! Muhahahahahaha!**

**I'm so glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter, despite it being so short and all. And again, thank you so much for the comments, I enjoy hearing everything all of you lovely and amazing people have to say!**

**And to my darling rachida, I'm hoping that this chapter was up to par, because as always I aim to please! :)**

**Just out of curiosity, I'm asking you all a question. Who do you think she should choose? Damon, he bestest friend in the entire world. Or Kol, the lover she sees in her visions and dreams? Lemme know in the comments! :D**

**As always please review, and I shall see you all next time. ;)**


	6. Time Stands Still

**Hello all! I don't exactly have a ton to say for today's authors note, but I hope you guys all had lovely weekends. I know I sure did, but my horse absolutely KILLED my legs with my last horseback riding lesson on Sunday. My inner thighs are still dead. Not to mention that I had to go help my instructor with the nine horses she has in for training. Lemme tell you, it's been a long time since I had to work more then two horses under saddle one after the other.**

**Doesn't help that I'm out of shape, either. LOOL**

**ANYWAYS, ENOUGH ABOUT HORSES. Cuz I could talk FOREVER about horses.**

**ACTUALLY, I do have something to say.**

**DID YOU SEE THE LATEST EPISODE OF THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. GAH. MY TWO FAVORITE FUCKING CHARACTERS ARE BACK, BABEH! I fucking screamed when I saw Vaughn, because Kol was in one of the previews, but VAUGHN. DNSGJKDSNJKLGBSKGL CHARLIE BEWLEYYYYY! :'D**

**... Okay, I'm done now. I promise. LOOL**

**This entire chapter is in Kol's point of view. :)**

* * *

"Brother, just tell me what's been bothering you," Rebekah whined, as she continued to follow all over the mansion.

She'd been following me around all week since I'd come home after being banished from the Salvatore boarding house from none other then Ayla. She'd demanded I leave the premises after choosing that bastard Damon over me, and when I'd refused to move, she used her magic and sent me flying out the door and into the woods. Since I'd returned home, I'd been avoiding my siblings. Actually, I'd been avoiding most contact with the outside world, aside from the Mystic Grill's bar area, of course.

I turned around sharply and glared at my sister, "Go away Rebekah. I don't need whatever sisterly advice you see fit to give to me. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Ah," She grinned, "So it _is_ woman troubles. Just as I thought."

I blanked, "I never said that."

"No, you didn't say it, but your eyes did."

Muttering to myself I turned on my heel and stalked to my room, followed closely by my sister.

"It's that witch, isn't it? The one Nik told me about the day you two went to the bar," Rebekah questioned, "Ayla _Salvatore_, wasn't it?"

Within seconds I had Rebekah pinned against the wall, my face inches from hers.

"Don't you dare call her by that last name," I growled through gritted teeth, attempting to control my already boiling temper. Since I'd been thrown out of the boarding house, hearing the Salvatore name makes my blood boil.

Rebekah smirked, knowing she succeeded in her attempt at send me spiraling down into the palm of her hand.

"Oh Kol, you're acting like a child," She stated with a playful tone, "If she means that much to you, whats stopping you from going and taking her?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, "Back of Rebekah."

"Or what?" She taunted, "You know I'm actually quite impressed. Not once in our thousand years did I ever expect a girl to capture your special attention like this Ayla girl has. She's managed to turn my most unpredictable brother into something with feelings and emotions."

Not wanting to hear another word, I spun around on my heel and stride towards my bedroom door, only to be blocked by Rebekah.

"Honestly Kol, what are you going to do? Stay inside this mansion until you begin to desiccate? You've not even touched a single drop of blood since the day you decided to begin this petty lock down. And just so you're aware, alcohol won't keep you alive, since that seems to be the only reason you leave the house at night." Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest.

"Move." I snarled, losing my patience with my sister. If she insisted on being like this, I would ultimately become violent and without Elijah here to break us up, I would throw the first and last punch.

"Just answer me one question, Kol."

I curled my hands into fists and clenched them tightly, "What is it you want to know, now?"

"Why?" Rebekah watched me as her face softened slightly, "Why her?"

Her question caught me completely off guard, leaving me to stand there repeating her words in my mind over and over. Rebekah stood there silently and watched me for a moment before turning around and walking to the door. She stopped and turned to face me again as she reached over to grasp the doorknob gently.

"She really has changed you," Rebekah stated softly, "She made you more like your old self. More... Human."

With that, she closed the door silently behind her.

I slowly walked over to my bed and sat down on the edge. I leaned forward and let my head fall into my hands as a million thoughts buzzed through my head. Did I really let this witch leave such a massive impact on me? True, I would be lying to myself if I'd deny that I'd developed some sort of twisted infatuation with her, but that wouldn't be enough to compel such a change in me. Thinking back to when I'd first laid eyes on her up until the point of when she'd made her choice to stay at Damon's side, letting those thoughts and precious moments consume me. I sat in silence, completely engrossed in my own thoughts, enjoying this sudden sense of calm washing over me at the sight of her face in my mind. This feeling both confused and frightened me, but I willingly let it in.

Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe I wasn't infatuated with her. Maybe what I was feeling was much more then that.

I gave my head a quick shake not ready to accept the known, storming out of my room and down the stairs. As I slammed the front doors open, I could hear Rebekah's faint inquiries in the background but they soon faded as I ran briskly through the trees. During my speedy trek through the woods I caught the scent of several people that were camping somewhere off Nik's old property, allowing the savage sensation of thirst to consume me and pull me towards the humans. When I reached them I wasted no time in draining them, enjoying the relief that soon followed as their essence quenched my burning throat.

I soon found myself walking into the grill for the first time in a couple of days, walking over to my usual spot at the bar and took a seat. The human my sister was in love with, Matt, walked over with a hard expression.

"The usual? Or have you decided to have something different today?" He asked in a bored tone, continuing to clean the glass that he held in his hands.

I paid no attention to him and ran my fingers through my hair, "The usual."

I didn't take long for Matt to set my drink down, but this time instead of walking away to serve other customers, he remained in front of me and watched me sink my entire drink back with one gulp.

"I don't know if it's the same for vampires like it is for humans, but this constant drinking has got to stop," Matt stated, "I don't know what's going on, and I really don't need to know because it's none of my business, but you can't keep parking yourself in here looking sorry for yourself while you drink half the grill's liquor supply."

With a forceful slam of my hand the glass in my grip shattered, "That's pretty brave of you to say, Matt," I narrowed my eyes at him, "Don't think that you're perfectly safe and protected just because my sister has feelings for you. That won't stop me from breaking limb or two."

Matt glared, "Threaten me all you want, but this has to stop. Maybe you should stop running from whatever's bothering you and actually deal with it. I know that's probably hard for you to understand, but it's better then wallowing in self-pity all the time. Take a piece of advice for once and go fix whatever problem you have."

With that, Matt grabbed a pad of paper and walked around the counter to tend to customers that had just entered the grill. I sat there and glared at the shattered glass in my hand, finding myself lost in words once again. A woman who attended to the people sitting at the bar walked over and offered me another drink and to clean up the mess, doing so with my short nod of a response. I watched her as she poured my drink, finding myself picking similarities to Ayla that made my mind wonder back to her. At that moment, all I could think about was how good her lips felt against mine, and how warm her body was as I pressed against her.

I'd been so wrapped up in my inner feelings and their turmoil that I didn't realize someone sat down next to me.

"Well Kol, it's nice to see my little brother is thinking of someone other then himself."

I growled and looked my brother straight in the eye, "I'm not in the mood for this, Nik. Go away."

"Or what?" Klaus pressed with a grin, "You'll make a spectacle of yourself in front of ten humans in a small town bar? That would be a little childish of you, even to your standards don't you think?"

Choosing to ignore him instead of getting myself more worked up then I already was becoming, I turned back to drink and downed it, motioning for the woman to come and refill it once again. I could feel Klaus' eyes on me the entire time, even when he thanked the woman for the drink she'd served him.

"I find it fascinating really," Klaus started, "You and I have always been similar in that aspect... Never really believing in love or purposely seeking out the affections of others, and yet here you are, so enraptured by this girl that she seems to have wrapped you around her finger. Ever since that girl has come into town, Kol, you've changed."

I sat there in silence as Klaus spoke, doing my best to ignore his words until something he said broke me out of my concentrated thoughts and forced me to look right at him.

"I'm going to give you a piece of advice, and you can choose to take this whichever way you want or even choose to disregard it," Klaus suddenly became fascinated by the drink he held in his hands, "When I saw Caroline for the first time, I didn't pay attention to it and I disregarded the feelings that started as nothing but a subtle yet temporary attraction. Sure, she's the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on, but I wasn't ready to admit I'd willingly change who I was to make her see what she meant to me. I didn't realize the emotional hold she had on me.

I watched her for days and became so caught up in the way she made everyone around her smile, and her fire, that I slowly found myself seeking out ways to make her look at me like that. I was obsessed with making her happy, whether it meant showering her with gifts or performing acts of kindness. Whenever she would deny what I'd ask, I would take it as an open challenge and attempt to push even farther. She became the prize I've always wanted. She became the reason I exist, and I would gladly give up my life to save her, if that meant seeing to her safety and future happiness."

"She belongs to the Lockwood boy," I added, not bothering to see if Klaus' expression had changed.

He chuckled slightly, "Yes. It would seem I've lost to the Lockwood boy, but that wouldn't stop me from giving up on her."

"Why?" It was my turn to look at him and interrogate him as my sister had done to me earlier, "Why would you fight for someone you know will never choose you?"

"I love her," Klaus stated as if it were the most obvious thing, "And it's because I love her, that I'm willing to put aside my selfish reasons to let her go and be happy. Not that I would ever admit that out loud to anyone other then you at this moment."

I looked down at my hands and for once, accepted Klaus' words and reasoning without a snide remark to call back to. This little heart-to-heart he and I were having opened my eyes that much more, dragging my thoughts back to that girl who'd unknowingly capture my undead heart.

Perhaps this is what he meant, by readily accepting that you were in love? Coming to a conclusion and admitting for the first time in your life that someone else mattered more then yourself.

"Go to her, Kol," Klaus finished his drink and stood up, "Don't make the same mistakes I did and wait until it's too late. It's more then obvious the feelings you have for this girl, so be the annoying and persistent little brother I know you are and fight."

I looked up and watched as he walked down the steps, "What? No mocking words or merciless teasing about how weak I've become?"

Klaus stopped and looked back at me with a smirk, "I could, but that would be like looking at myself in the mirror and making fun of myself."

As Klaus left, I scanned the grill as means of a distract from my thoughts. I let my eyes wander all over the place, taking in the guests that had settled themselves down to consume their meals and to engross themselves in conversation, whether it be the daily gossip or of other topics. My eyes soon fell on a couple sitting the farthest away from me. The young boy and girl sat across from each other looking awkward, as if it were their first time being together on their own in a public place. The boy would shyly smile and offer up a topic of conversation, while the girl would return his act of kindness with her own and play along with his questions and answers. I watched as he timidly reached over taking the girls hand in his own, catching his date by surprise.

I felt my chest involuntarily tighten and turned away from them. Even the simplest forms of affection brought me back to her touch. I could still remember her scent, still as sweet and potent as it was just as it filled my senses. I could remember every touch she and I exchanged, every kiss and how she tasted.

With a deep breath to steady myself I stood up and walked away from the bar, slapping some money into Matt's hand as I passed him and exited the grill.

For once, I would take my brothers advice.

* * *

**So, what did we think of Klaus being the respectable older brother figure? Strange, eh? I know, I had a hard time visualizing him being like Elijah when I typed this up, but I haven't decided when Elijah will be incorporated into this. He will be here at some point, it's just to decide when. LOOL**

**I felt as though I should make this entire chapter about Kol, as the next one will be all about Ayla. I wanted to show both of their point of view, even though I probably jumped around everywhere in this chapter and made little sense. But then again, Kol's never experienced love (as far as we know, at least) so he really wouldn't know how to steady his thoughts about loving someone. SO YEAH, that's my excuse and I'm stickin' to it! :Db**

**Comment and review, all that lovely stuff you awesome, most fantastic readers do and I will see you guys soon! :3**


	7. Finally

**HEY GUYS, REMEMBER ME? LOOL**

**Sorry I've been kind of MIA but this new job I got is over nights, and it's been taking over my life. I haven't even been able to go out and see my pony, which is depressing. )';**

**I loved the reviews you guys left, and I have to say... rachida my darling, yours made me LOL a lot, specially the part where Kol should "man the fuck up". LOOL! XD**

**Might not have been that funny to everyone else, but I'm easily amused by these things. So it's all good. ;D**

**I don't really have much to say other then the fact that this chapter is all in Ayla's point of view, so enjoy! :D**

* * *

Almost a full week had passed since Kol had come to the Salvatore boarding house to talk, and it's been that long since I threw him out after making a choice I later regretted. Of course, Damon had been thrilled that I (from his point of view) booted Kol out of my life. He continued to smile reassuringly and tell me that I'd made the right decision, and that feelings of regret over an Original vampire should be null and void. Stefan, being the more caring and rational brother that he is, tried to give me a pep-talk at some point, but I don't remember much of what he said. All I could think about was the look on Kol's face when I'd turned around to face him, to mutter a last 'goodbye' before sending him rocketing out of the front door.

I felt like a zombie since that day and only felt worse as my traitorous mind continued to replay every moment spent with that certain Mikaelson. The visions and dreams had stopped for the most part, after having willed myself not to see his future any longer. It felt easier to block him out when I was asleep. I could lose myself in dreams of when I'd first met Damon, or when I'd come back to Mystic Falls and met all of his friends (even if one two of them were just royal pains in my ass). But there was always that moment where I would think of him, and it would all come crashing back. It was both mentally frustrating and exhausting, but also confusing. I couldn't understand why I continued to feel this way about him.

Every touch I saw couples around me exchange and every gentle word whispered between lovers was torture. As much as I hated to admit it, my body thrummed with desire for his touch once again. I wanted him to kiss me like he did against the tree in the woods, and I wanted him to take me higher then nothing I'd ever experienced before. I didn't care what warnings were shoved down my throat about how dangerous and manipulative he was. I wanted him. All of him, with raw and wild passion.

"Hey," Damon's voice broke me out of my thoughts, "You coming with us to the grill?"

I looked over at him and nodded slowly, "Sure, why not."

He flashed me a calming smile and soon vanished to give me privacy so I could change my clothing. When I was finished, I met him, Stefan and Ric in the main sitting area. It took us no longer then eleven minutes to reach the grill, and soon we filed in one after the other. I looked around and felt relieved to only see maybe ten people sitting around in miscellaneous places. Damon and Ric immediately headed towards the bar leaving Stefan and I to stand there in silence. He soon excused himself and went to join his brother and friend, leaving me to stand there alone looking like a fool.

I took the opportunity to look around the area once again and soon found myself staring at a young couple that were sitting a mere fifteen feet from me. It was obvious that they hadn't been together for very long and were on the dreaded first date. He would make shy and gentle advances towards his girlfriend, making her smile like a fool and giggle in excitement at his attempts. I continued to observe them until a sick feeling weld in my stomach, forcing me outside of the grill all together.

"Okay, Ayla, this needs to stop," I gave my head a shake and scolded myself, preparing myself to go back inside.

"What exactly is it that you need to stop?"

I looked behind me only to come face-to-face with none other then Kol himself. He was standing there casual as ever, hands holstered in his pockets and his face void of any emotion. I bit my bottom lip and gawked at him for what seemed like hours in my mind before finally speaking.

"What are you doing here?"

Kol's mouth pulled into a firm line, "I was just leaving the grill, if it isn't that obvious."

He was right. Anyone passing by within a ten foot radius would be able to smell the alcohol on him. Had he started drinking heavily because of me?

"Oh..." I trailed off, "Well, I should get back inside before Damon comes out here."

His brow furrowed as he prepared himself to speak, but decided on action. I felt myself being hauled off my feet and gasped heavily as my back collided with the brick wall in the alley. Kol pinned my arms down and stared, his eyes boring into my own. His actions rendered me momentarily speechless as I gaped up at him.

"I can't take this anymore," Kol muttered, "You don't realize how crazy you make me."

I didn't get a chance to speak as Kol's lips crushed against my own in a heated kiss. In allowed myself to inhale the intoxicating aroma that only seemed to pulse off his skin, even with the undercoat of alcohol. His taste filled my mouth and riled my senses once again. His hands roamed my covered skin and sent waves of goosebumps raining down my body. I felt myself desperately kissing back as my arms, now freed, laced around the back of his neck to draw him in closer. It was then that I heard a growl come from the back of his throat that I knew Kol would not be letting me go anytime soon.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Again, Kol growled and pulled away enough to turn his head in the direction Damon was standing, his arms and body still caging me against the wall. I clung to him for support and stared over at Damon, my eyes wide with the shame of being caught in the act.

Shame, not for kissing Kol, but for telling Damon I didn't want him anymore.

"If you value your life, Salvatore, you'll walk away right now," Kol seethed, his voice laced with venom.

Damon narrowed his eyes and stood his ground, "Get off her, right now."

Suddenly Stefan and Ric appeared, both with mixed expressions. Stefan was neutral while Ric looked ready for a fight and to help Damon should a fight break out.

I gripped Kol's shirt and sighed deeply, "Kol..."

His eyes flickered to me for an instant before locking with Damon's narrowed translucent blues. He seemed to hesitate on what his next move would be before shocking us all, pulling away from me to stand square in front of Damon. I watched him with a frown and looked from my best friend to the man I felt for.

"Good, now that you're not sticking your tongue down my best friend's throat anymore, I'm taking her home. Come on," Damon motioned to me with a hard look.

I didn't get a chance to move as Kol's arm swiftly shot out in front of me in a protective manner, "She won't be going anywhere with you."

"Damon," I finally found my voice, "I'm sorry but I can't go with you."

"And why not?" I could instantly tell he was becoming furious like he always did when Kol Mikaelson and myself were involved either in the same sentence or the same scenario.

"You want the truth?" I glared and shoved passed Kol to stand in front of him, "I want him, Damon. So there, now that you know, does that piss you off even more?"

I watched his eyes snap open wide, "So then you lied to me?"

"I said what I said to avoid you two fighting!"

"He's an evil prick, Ayla! Think about that for a second before you realize the mistake you're thinking of making!"

"Get over it, Damon! Just accept the fact that I want Kol in my life and move on!" I clenched my fists tightly as they shook, "I don't want either of you to fight, and hell, you don't even have to get along. Is that really too much to ask for?"

Damon stood in silence for a moment, "Ayla, please-"

"No!" I gave Damon a hard look, "You're not negotiating or talking me out of this, Damon. Not this time."

"You're really choosing him over me?" Damon glared suddenly, "After all those years-"

"I'm not choosing, Damon," I softened my tone, "It was a mistake for you to force that on me the last time, but I'm not letting you this time."

"She's right," Stefan decided it was time to step in and looked at Damon, "And you should respect her choice, even though it pisses us all off in regards to who she cares for."

I gave Stefan and look of gratitude before looking back at Damon, "I love you Damon, and you know that. You're my best friend, and you've helped me through more then I can remember. I know you care for me as a little sister, but I think it's time you let me make mistakes and fall in love with who I want. Even if it angers you, just please have enough respect to let me do what I choose and stand by me as my friend."

Damon stared at me in silence, boiling over as he thought over my words. When Stefan made an attempt to speak, he would bring his hand up to silence his brother without even sparing him a glance. He took another moment to let his eyes flicker from my own to Kol's, who stood behind me in a respectful silence.

With a deep sigh his shoulders dropped into a more submissive gesture, "So... You and Kol, eh?"

"Yeah," I watched him with hopeful eyes, wondering if he would see my point of view.

With another sigh, Damon crossed the space between us and placed his hand on my shoulder, "Fine, I'll grudgingly accept this and be the friend you know I am," He paused to send Kol a small glare, "Even if I'm less then impressed on it being Kol of all people."

I could see Damon's eyes narrow towards the space behind me, meaning Kol must have given Damon one of his signature smirks. I rolled my eyes and hugged Damon quickly, "Thank you."

Damon looked down at me and gave me a small smile, "No problem, kid."

* * *

**Again, I REALLY wanna say sorry for such a very delayed update. My new job is really taking up too much of my life, but I guess that's how the cookie crumbles. I'll try to squeeze in some more writing time so I don't make you all wait such a super duper long time for an update. ):**

**I also want to apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but it's all I could squeeze out before I have to go to bed for work tonight (ps. NEVER GET OVER NIGHT WORK. SLEEPING ALL DAY SUCKS! D:).**

**There's only a couple more chapters left to this requested mini series, but I promise I'll try to pack the last chapters full of action and make them much longer then this. ^^**

**And to my lovely rachida, I'M SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! D;**

**Also, this is unedited, so I'm REALLY SORRY if everything is all over the place. :)**

**Please comment and review! Every bit of insight from you lovely people is much appreciated. :)**


	8. Confrontations and Death

**Oh my gosh... How can I even begin to apologize?**

**First of all, I really want to deeply apologize for my lack of updates and my disappearance. I've been busy with work and sick, so I haven't really had much time to myself at all other then laying in bed sick with some random flu that I caught.**

**Yeah, it's summer, and I catch a cold. Go figure. ;(**

**Anyways, this is the second last chapter before the end of it, and it's going to be a good one (in my opinion :P). I'm sure I'm not the only one (I know my darling rachida) who has been waiting for that absolutely WONDERFUL moment when Ayla and Elena clash, so now here it is! :D**

**I'll warn you. It's not as good I was hoping for it to be as I had to write this in a rush, but I think it's good enough that it will please people. :)**

**Again, I'm sorry for the lack of updates and I'm hoping my lovely rachida will forgive me!**

**Also note, this is unedited, so it might be choppy and crappy in some parts. But I whipped this up quick, so no flames for the lazy girl who has no time to re-read before posting! D:**

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It had been a little over a week since Kol and I had began the start of our relationship. Wait... Can I even call it that yet? Sure, the ancient vampire had been by my side constantly and he was plenty affectionate, but was it too early to call it what it was? Damon had been surprisingly accepting of the fact that Kol was becoming a permanent fixture in the Salvatore boarding house, but still made an effort to avoid coming face to face with him. Aside from that fact, Stefan had been, like always, different from his brother and had become extremely annoying. His constant mood swings with the fact Elena's humanity was lost had become tiresome and a complete bother. Unfortunately for me, the youngest Salvatore had decided that since his brother was playing babysitter to the new vamp, that he would bestow his problems all on me because I was the only one around to listen. He was being selfish, but that seemed to be usual nowadays.

Not like I had anything else of more importance to do but listen to him, right?

"Hey," Stefan walked through the doorway in my room, "No Kol today?"

I looked over from my belly-down position on the bed and flipped the book I had been reading over so my page would not be lost, "No. He said Klaus had something planned for him. Much to his dismay, of course."

"Ah," Stefan walked closer and hopped up onto the bed with me, putting his hands behind his head as he leaned against the pillows, "I bet you know what I've come to talk about."

"In a sense, yes," I grimaced, "I had a feeling this would happen eventually."

I knew exactly what Stefan was about to say. When my precognitive dreams had returned, I had a repulsive dream of Elena moving into the boarding house. From what I gathered, she had burned her house down when Jeremy had been away with Bonnie and Alaric on some sort of mission. Details were fuzzy on the brother's whereabouts, but all that immediately caught her interest was Elena's recklessness.

"You're both letting her stay here," I looked towards the door noticing Damon leaning against the frame, "Am I right?"

Damon nodded, "Yeah. And I won't lie, but I was expecting a much bigger reaction from you."

I shrugged and sat up, "I really don't care seeing as it's not my house, but all I'll say is just keep her out of my face. I'll stay on my side of the house, and she'll stay on hers."

"Isn't that a little childish?" Elena walked passed Damon and paused in the middle of the room, arms crossed and hip popped out to one side in a cocky manner.

I gave her a blank stare, "Not when it concerns a bitch, it isn't."

"Big words for little witch," Elena taunted, "Seems ever since you and the big bad Original have become an item, your attitude has changed."

I glared, "Since when?!"

Elena laughed, "I see more then you think I do."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I got up quickly and faced her.

Elena grinned, "It's exactly what you think it means. You aren't exactly a big and scary witch without your knight in black armor there to back you up. You don't live up to the temper your dear friend Damon here has told me you have, and I'm starting to think that your power is nonexistent."

I could feel my brow twitch in annoyance at the woman standing in front of me. Here she was, spewing nonsense in order to engage me in an argument, and me being me, I was falling for it hook, line and sinker.

"I don't need Kol here as a backbone in order to fight my own battles," I shot back angrily, "So instead of standing there shooting insults at me with no reasoning behind it, kindly get lost."

Elena faked hurt, "That's kind of rude of you, considering I just lost everything."

"Yeah, because of your own stupid reasoning," I mocked her pose and crossed my arms, "If you're here for sympathy, you're definitely going about it the wrong way."

The Gilbert girl laughed hard and clutched her stomach, "Sympathy? You think this is over sympathy?"

"No," I answered honestly with a sweet smile, "But right now I'm trying to decipher a reasoning as to why you're in here trying to pick a fight with me."

Elena straightened out and returned my smile, "Oh, well since you're so curious..." She paused mid-sentence and began to saunter around my (well... Damon's) room and looked around as if she'd never entered this room before, "Damon recommended me concentrate on something in order to focus on regaining my unnecessary humanity back, so I focused on hate."

I sighed, "Let me guess," I looked at her with the same blank stare as before, "Because I was rude to poor little Elena Gilbert, you've decided to focus all your hate on me? Aw, how touching."

"Don't get so full of yourself," Elena smirked, "You're not the only one that I'm going after. I intend to kill Katherine, as well."

Stefan, having finally decided to get a word in, shot up and looked at Elena with furrowed brows, "You can't be serious Elena. She'll kill you!"

"She's right you know," Damon frowned, "If Katherine won't, Ayla will. I know my friend Elena, and I know her limits. Now I agreed to let you come in here and have your say, but unfortunately I'm not going to be on the sidelines now that you're announcing that you want both Ayla and Katherine dead. Katherine, yes, but it's pointless to go after her considering her age and strength. Not to mention she's not worth it. But Ayla, I won't stand by for that."

"How cute," Elena cooed, "Sticking up for your ex-girlfriend and best friend. You've gone soft, Damon."

I narrowed my eyes, "Is that really what you want, Elena? A fight to the death? You'll get one if that's really what you want."

"You wouldn't do anything to hurt me!" Elena smiled brightly as she twirled around to face me, "For one, you'd be hurting those poor Salvatore brothers. And secondly, you can't."

"Watch me." I clenched my jaw and threw my hand forward, finally having enough of her mocking me.

Elena suddenly fell to the ground in agonizing pain, screaming loudly as she clutched her head in whatever vain attempts to alleviate the pain. I grinned and twisted my hand, forcing parts of her body to contort in inhuman ways. Stefan and Damon began to walk towards me but were cut short when they both collided with a barrier.

"Ayla!" Damon looked right at me, "Don't do this!"

"Do what?" I asked with innocence, "Lose control over my magic and kill this pathetic excuse for a vampire? Give me some credit Damon. I'm in complete control and I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Ayla, listen to me," Stefan began his reasoning ways, "Hurting Elena won't make things better. She's just trying to find some means of entertainment until she finds Katherine."

I rolled my eyes, "Stop making excuses for her Stefan, or you're next on the list for a much-needed slap of reality."

Elena writhed in pain before me as her screams turned into pleas for the pain to stop and for me to show mercy. I couldn't help but smile at her. One should know never to tempt a witch, and certainly not a witch with expression as her weapon.

"Ready to behave like a good little girl and smarten the fuck up?" I continued to twist and turn my hand in order to contort the girls body more, waiting until she gave me a truthful answer that I would accept.

Elena glared up at me with hatred and contempt, "Trying to play all high and mighty now, are we?"

"You know you're doing an awful job at convincing me to stop," I walked closer to her, "Lets take this up a notch, shall we?"

I watched with amusement as Elena's breathing became dangerously shallow, her hands quickly finding their way to her throat. She fell back on her rear and gasped loudly, looking passed me towards the brothers with pleading eyes.

"Feels like the air is thickening, doesn't it?" I kneeled down and smiled, "Your lungs are rejecting the air and making it difficult for you to breathe. What a sad predicament you're in now, huh?"

Elena narrowed her eyes dangerously at me and with ragged breaths she lunged forwards, only to ricochet backwards from the barrier that separated us.

"You... Bitch..." Elena struggled to keep herself conscious and focused as she continued to draw in oxygen, pulling in strained breaths.

"I could make things ten times worse for you Elena, but I'm feeling generous. I'm willing to give you one more chance," I watched her and remained still, "But I feel like we should up the anti a little before I stop playing with you." Elena glared at me as I looked back over my shoulder towards the brothers and then focused back on her.

"Turn your humanity back on and this will all end. Bad enough you brought your two biggest fans down for your depressing ride, but now once your brother and Alaric return to find out the Gilbert home is gone as well, you'll bring them down too."

Elena, even in her current state, managed to cackle out a chuckle and looked at me with a sneer, "Go to hell."

"Certainly. After I start eliminating people in order to earn my pass," I stood up, "Since it seems to be the only currency you understand."

Stefan suddenly banged his fist hard against the barrier, "Ayla!"

"We'll start with that nice, handsome boy Kol's sister likes so much. Matt, isn't it?" I ignored Stefan and stared down at Elena, "And then perhaps I'll move onto that precious little brother of yours."

Elena growled and lunged for me once again only to be sent flying back by the barrier, "You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh I would dare," I grinned, "Or, I could pull a sick joke and keep you boxed up for a little while and really torture you. I hear dessication is the worst possible thing a vampire can experience."

I could see a flicker of fear in Elena's eyes and internally bashed at both brothers, hoping they were taking notes at my very limited progress. Not that I had intended on being a cause for Elena's regain of her humanity, but it seemed like a good time as any. It would give me bragging rights, at least.

Before I could make another move the sound of approaching footsteps caught my attention and forced me to look back at the door. Matt and Caroline stood there with startled expressions, their eyes focused on Elena and I.

Matt was the first to speak, "Hey, let her go!"

"Fantastic!" I smiled and gave Elena her full lunge capacity back. She quickly gasped for air and quickly calmed her breathing down, "Just who I was hoping to see. Now we can play a new game aside from _'Let's Torture Elena'_!"

With a wave of my hand Matt flew forward and passed the barrier blocking the Salvatore brothers' paths and fell down in front of me on his hands and knees. His eyes locked with Elena's for a moment before he looked back at me.

"First and final rule of the game Elena," I smiled and grabbed Matt by the back of the collar to prop him up, "Turn your humanity back on or he dies. Simple game, simple rules. Make your choice, sweetheart."

"How can you be so cruel!" Caroline slammed both fists against the barrier until Damon stopped her.

"Damon, do something!" Stefan and Caroline both turned towards the eldest Salvatore with desperation.

In the distance, Damon's low mumbles could be heard, "Maybe this is what she needs."

All eyes became focused on Elena as she watched Matt and I, "You won't do it."

"I can, and I will," I stated without remorse, "He means nothing to me, so why would it matter?"

Matt looked at Elena with pleading eyes, "Elena, please..."

"You won't do it!"

"You should know better then to tempt me, seeing as how your taunting got you in this mess in the first place."

Time itself seemed to stand still as Matt's spine snapped back and his head turned almost backwards, killing him instantly. Elena dropped back and brought her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief. Tears began to form and spill over as she suddenly crawled towards Matt and put a hand on the barrier.

"Matt... Matt..." Her sobs erupted as she quickly clutched her head in cried loud, her emotions flooding in all at once leaving her overwhelmed.

I watched her for a moment before looking down at Matt, feeling the instant pang of guilt at his broken body. What made matters worse, was his lack of supernatural protection. I bit my lower lip and lowered myself down beside him, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves. Aside from Elena's powerful sobs, the room was silent. No one dared make a sound. What had I done?

"... You. You killed him..." Caroline whispered slowly, her own tears cascading down her face, "You killed him!"

I looked back at the three and released all the barriers, allowing them to come forward. Caroline immediately rushed towards Matt and I but was stopped by Damon, "She can bring him back, Caroline."

"Why are you being like this, Damon?!" Caroline screamed furiously, "She just killed Matt!"

Damon frowned, "In order to bring Elena back!"

Stefan rushed to Elena's side and spoke to her with encouragement and with attempts to calm the hyperventilating vampire down. His words seemed to be working as she slowly began to settle herself. Slowly, she crawled her way over to Matt and pulled his body close to hers, clutching him tightly as she whispered his name over and over. Caroline soon joined her and hugged her two best friends close.

I looked up at Damon, my own guilt obvious in my expression, but was met with a small and calm smile, "You did what you had to do, and I'm sure once Matt is back, he'll understand."

"I killed him, Damon," I stood up and looked away from him, "I got pushed too far."

"You took that extra step to bring back someone you don't even like," Damon walked over and placed both hands on my face forcing me to look up at him, "Ayla, thank you."

Stefan put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently, "If it's any condolence, Damon was thinking of using the same tactic, but you just beat him to the punch. And you can bring him back, so lets just think about the positives."

Once Damon released my face I looked back at Stefan and nodded slowly, having no energy to argue back. Slowly, I turned to Caroline and Elena and took a hesitant step forward.

"If you let me, I can bring him back."

Elena and Caroline looked up at me with puffy red eyes, "You can?"

I nodded with a small smile, "I can."

The two girls reluctantly handed over Matt's body and watched at I carved some form of a symbol on the floor using my magic. Stefan returned with a few candles and lit them for me as Damon moved Matt's body over the symbol and soon stood back with the others, watching closely. I closed my eyes and clasped my hands together, chanting in a language only witches knew. The flames grew tall and an eerie wind picked up in the room, focusing around Matt and I. It wasn't long before Matt's eyes shot open and he gasped audibly for air, his chest heaving with every breath he took.

"Matt!" A chorus of voices rang from the side.

I smiled small and opened my eyes long enough to see Matt sitting up, when my heart stopped and my body collapsed to the floor without warning.

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***GASP* Is Ayla dead?! I dunno, you'll just have to wait and see! Hehe. :3**

**So how about that chapter, huh! Pretty intense at some parts (or at least in my opinion)! I didn't want to be a total bitch and not have some form of redemption in this chapter, so I made it so that Ayla was the cause of Matt's "death" and Elena's humanity coming back, although I did it backwards with her focusing on the hate portion of it... But oh well. And what about Stefan's comment when he talked about Matt's death being one of Damon's ideas? I kind of laughed when I wrote that. Always the pessimist, that boy. LOOL**

**Sadly, the next chapter will be the last as I would love to close this story off with a decent ending and I just don't seem to have enough time to post things frequently, but I'm hoping what I've written was good enough for you guys to say it was a job well done! :)**

**And my darling rachida, I hope you liked this chapter, and I hope you like the last chapter just as much! It will be up by the end of this weekend, so expect that soon. I will not fail you! :D**

**Favorite and review, all that fun stuff you amazing peepulars do and have a gorgeous day or good night! I love you guys SOOOOOOOOOOO much! :D**


	9. A New Beginning

**Hey all, again I apologize for the extreme lack of updates. As it goes, I wanted to shock you all and make one last chapter to this, but alas I'm going to end it here. I'm planning on leaving an open ending so if the future looks good, I can make a small squeal to this to finish anything that never got addressed in these chapters. :)**

**And to my darling rachida, I'm so sorry you had to wait so long for this to be finished and I hope you forgive me!**

**Please enjoy this chappy! My apologies if it's not exactly the longest of them all. :)**

**NOTE: This chapter is far from being edited, as I had to whip this up within half an hour, so I didn't have time to re-read! :)**

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It was dark... Too dark. Everything around me was shrouded in black with not even a tiny speck of light. I tried desperately to locate even a tiny trace of something familiar but to no avail. The cold that had accompanied the darkness caused shivers to run up and down my body without mercy, leaving my tiny form shaking in vain attempts to create my own body heat. I pulled my knees to my chest and clutched my legs close to my body. I felt so vulnerable and alone, like a lost child that had been abandoned on the streets. Why was I alone in this cold, dark place? Where was I? Suddenly, there was a voice calling a name. Was it my name? Who are they calling for? I looked around to see if I could pin point the source.

_"Ayla! God damn it, open your eyes!"_

_"Why is she not waking up? Ayla!"_

Ayla... That is my name. Someone is calling my name? Whose voice is that?

_"Calm down! Yelling isn't going to help!"_

_"You let her die, and you expect me to calm down? _

Those voices. They sound so familiar, but so far away. They almost sound like whispers... Or like I'd dreampt them. Am I dreaming?

_"Kol don't! Damon couldn't do anything to save her! Just listen to us!"_

Kol? Why does that name sound so familiar? Why does his voice send a warm tingle through my cold body?

_"Ayla, please, wake up..."_

That voice, the one who belonged to the one they called Kol... It sounded so wounded. He sounded like he lost something (or someone) very important to him. Could he be talking about me? He said my name, didn't he? As if on cue, a blinding light shone brightly around me and pushed away the darkness. I tried to shield my eyes to avoid becoming blind, when memories flooded through my mind. I saw a handsome man with black hair and piercing blue eyes looking down at me. They way his eyes bore into my own, it was like he was looking at a beloved younger sibling. The man next to him also shared the same look. They had they same eyes. Were they brothers? Why were their faces familiar? I watched as the black haired man shook his head and muttered to himself, mumbling to the man beside him, Stefan, that I needed to be less reckless and allow myself to rely on the two more often. Stefan, he called him Damon. Those names sound so familiar, but why?

Suddenly another memory passed through with vivid images of an extremely handsome, tall young man with a grin who could melt even the coldest of hearts. He was looking down at me while he had my body pinned to a tree, and soon leaned in to claim my lips in a fiery kiss. I watched the scene and felt my lips tingle at the memory, a rush of exhilaration coursing through my body. Who was this name? Another scene soon unfolded where those brothers, Damon and Stefan, stood across from the tall handsome vampire. They were having a dispute. It was about me, and why I shouldn't be with this vampire. Wait, could this handsome stranger be Kol? My suspicion was confirmed when Damon soon yelled his name in anger.

The last set of images to flash through my mind was a brunette who was seated on the floor. She was glaring dangerously at me. She was edging me on, telling me I would no kill the blonde at my feet. My breath caught in my throat as I watched the boy die by my hands, his limp body crashing down with a thud. The girl suddenly went into momentary shock before a powerful sob erupted from her. She was crawling towards the boy chanting his name. Matt. Before I knew it, Matt was at my feet once again, only this time he was in a circle I had created. I was chanting something. I was bringing him back to life. The light around me soon faded into a dull brightness which allowed me to open my eyes. When had I closed them? I took in my surroundings. I was in an up-right position the middle of a room surrounded my people. That man, Kol, he was to my left and had his arm around me to support me. I looked at him slowly and then towards my right to see Damon and Stefan, who stood closely behind his brother. A look of relief washed over his face the instant our eyes locked. If I hadn't been looking directly at him, I wouldn't have noticed the rims of his eyes lining with tears. I felt a pang in my chest at the sight. Ripping my eyes away from his, I continued to take in all the other faces in the room. There was a familiar brunette woman who stood aside with two blondes, one being a female and the other being male. They all watched me with curiosity and something else I couldn't quite read. The three offered me a small smile, which I politely returned with slight awkwardness.

"Ayla," I turned and faced Kol, "How do you feel?"

My smile never faltered, "Better then I was now that I can finally see," I heard a deep chuckle from my other side and looked at Damon, "What happened to me?"

"You died," Damon answered and then motioned to the blonde male standing off to the side, "You died when you brought Matt back to life."

"Matt?" I looked at the tall blonde male and felt a wave of happiness crash over me, "You're alive."

He nodded slowly, "Yeah, thanks to you."

The brunette stepped forward with caution, "Are you sure you feel alright?"

"I am," I replied, "But everything is still a little fuzzy. I don't remember all your names."

"I'm Elena," Elena offered with a small smile, "And this is Caroline."

The one she named Caroline waved and offered me a kind smile, "We're all glad you're back."

My smile faltered, "You're glad I'm back? But... I killed Matt..."

"Yeah," Matt sighed, "But my death brought Elena's humanity back, so I don't hate you for it. I guess you could say my death had purpose? Can I say that?"

Everyone but Kol joined in a chorus of chuckles. I turned to the man who held me and smiled small, "Kol."

"So you do remember me," He sighed with relief and then became stern, "Ayla. Don't you ever, ever do that again."

I brought my hand up and rest my palm against his cheek, "I'm sorry I worried you," I looked around to all who stood in the room, "All of you."

"Well, now that she's finally apologized," Damon grinned, "Lets celebrate. It's a little too depressing right now for my tastes, even with the given situation."

Elena, Matt and Caroline all nodded and shuffled out of the room. Stefan soon followed as Damon stood up. He looked down at me and looked at if he wished to extend his hand for me to take, but decided against it and simply offered me a smile before walking out of the room. I watched them all before looking at Kol once again.

"I'm sorry I worried you."

Kol flashed me a devious smile, "You've already said that. Besides, you have the next several years to apologize to me. I also expect you to use other methods that are much more personal and intimate."

"Of course," I giggled and allowed him to help me up.

"Ayla," He looked down at me, "I came back early because I wanted to ask you something."

I looked up at him, "Oh? Like what?"

"I want you to leave Mystic Falls and come with me," Kol started, "Nik is traveling to New Orleans with Elijah to follow some quest for whatever caught his interest, so that leaves Rebekah and I to our own devices. I want to continue traveling the world, and I want you to come with me."

The offer caught me off guard, "You do?"

"Yes."

Quickly my brain went into overdrive as I quickly processed his words. He wanted to take me on an adventure around the world. I couldn't help but smile at that. Yes, I would be leaving behind my ties, but Kol... He and I had been through so much. It felt so natural to be around him now, like he had been by my side for so long. He came into my life so abruptly that I hadn't really had a chance to deny what he left in my desires. It got so natural for him to be around, that even Damon, who made Kol his arch-nemesis came around and accepted him.

Kol's head tilted to the side, "Well, darling?"

"I, uh.." I felt my cheeks heat up and in that instant the corners of my mouth lifted up slightly, "Let me say goodbye to Damon first, okay?"

"Of course," Kol's expression brightened significantly.

Kol reached a hand up to cup my cheek gently and leaned forward to rest his forehead against mine. We remained like this for what seemed like hours before he pulled away.

"I hope you don't mind but, you're already all packed up."

My face went blank, "You packed my things before asking me to travel with you?"

"I figured you're say yes," Kol admitted with a sheepish grin.

I couldn't help but shake my head, "How kind of you."

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"Hey Damon, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Damon looked over at me from where I stood at his door and flashed his trademark grin, "Of course. Enter, please."

"Why thank you," I giggled and stepped into his room closing the door behind me me, "So Damon."

"So Ayla," Damon turned to face me fully.

"I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier... With Elena," I began, "I didn't mean to push things that far."

Damon shrugged it off like it was nothing, "Needed to be done. Honestly, I think you did more good then what you originally intended."

"Still," I frowned, "It was uncalled for, and I'm sorry."

"It's all good," Damon closed the distance and placed his hand on my head, "So, want to explain why all your things are packed?"

I felt myself falter a little, "About that..."

Damon waited patiently for me to answer, but I knew he already had a good guess as to what was going on.

"I'm taking Kol up on his offer to go traveling," I looked up at him.

In Damon's eyes I could see a mixture of emotions ranging from disappointment, sadness, and extreme happiness. He wore the same grin on his face from before and pulling me into a tight embrace. His actions took me off guard, but I soon settled into his arms and welcomed the feeling. This was the Damon I knew behind closed doors. This was the caring brother that I had become so close to over the years.

"After everything that's happened, you're still so accepting," I murmured.

I could feel the deep chuckle reverberate in Damon's chest, "Well, you know, as long as that Original jackass keeps you safe, then it's alright by me."

"_Original Jackass_?" I couldn't help but laugh, "That's not very nice, Damon."

Damon pulled away and shrugged his shoulders, "Ah well, who said I had anything nice to comment about him?"

"Damon," I sighed and gave a playful punch to his chest, "Stop being such a big brother."

"Can't," Was his only reply.

**_[LATER]_ **

"Toothbrush?"

"Check!"

"Red blanket you love so much?"

"... Check."

"Don't be so shy, Ayla. You sleep with that tattered thing every night. If I remember correctly, you can't sleep without it-"

"OKAY DAMON, I GET IT!"

"Jeez, just trying to help," Damon snorted and then continued reading off the piece of paper he held in his hand,

"First Aid kit?"

"Don't need it, but yes, I have it."

"Okay, what about skimpy lingerie?"

I felt my face heat up, "DAMON!"

"Should I inquire as to what are you both doing?"

Damon and I looked over towards Kol who had walked into the room unnoticed, an inexpensive duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He was dressed casual and looked as if he had just showered.

"Oh, you know, just helping Ayla take inventory of her things before you two leave," Damon suddenly flashed a mischievous grin, "Don't worry Kol, I made sure she packed necessary things for the nights you two are alone."

Kol's eyebrow rose and my face brightened tenfold, "DAMON!"

"Okay, okay, you caught me. I'm just joking!" I could tell by Damon's tone that he wasn't kidding, "Well, everything's ready."

I nodded and grabbed the two travel cases that contained all my belongings and walked to the door, and followed Kol down to the front door. When I set the cases down by the open front door, I noticed a vintage black Mustang parked at the end of the stair case beside the truck Stefan had brought home for some suspicious reason. Kol walked by me, all luggage in hand, and threw them into the trunk quickly.

I felt a hand set itself on my shoulder and turned my attention to Damon, "Well, I guess it's time for you guys to head out, kid."

"Yeah, I guess it is," I smiled up at him and turned to face him.

Damon pulled me into a tight hug and released me just a quick, who was soon replaced by Stefan. I blinked in surprise at the sudden gesture and returned it. Kol leaned against the car and watched, waiting patiently for the brothers to say their goodbyes to their little sister.

"Alright," Damon waved me off suddenly, "Be good and come visit."

I giggled, "I will."

Quickly, I leaned up and gave both brothers a kiss on the cheek before turning around to meet Kol. He looked down at me and searched my face for any signs of regret or hesitation, and when none was found he offered me a calm smile. Giving one last turn around, I waved at both Salvatore brothers before hopping into the car. Kol too hopped in and turned the key, giving the engine one rev before turning to look out his window at the brothers. He mirrored Damon's smirk and with a quick wave of his hand, gave the gas pedal a push and sped off. We sat in silence until we hit the highway, when Kol's hand circled around my own. When I looked at him he gave me a reassuring smile, his gaze returning to the road. I faced forward as well, secretly nervous for what would happen, but excited to experience the unknown. Even more so now that I had found Kol.

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**Yeah, I know, shitting chapter, shitty ending! I know this chapter probably jumps around quite a bit, but I do have plans to do A LOT of editing in the future. **

**I'd like to thank all of the lovelies who have read, commented and favored this fiction. Also, I'd love to thank rachida for the idea and making this request. It's a lot of fun writing with an OC who has a flexible personality, and I really did enjoy writing with Ayla even though I think I could have made it better. Again, I'll be editing so expect changes eventually for those who may re-read this. **

**Rachida, I'm hoping this fic was to your liking and I hope I did not disappoint! I love you guys so much and thank you for reading this! :) **

**Comment, favorite and all that fun stuff you wonderful peeps do and I shall see you all next update!**


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